320 



The lateral petals are similar in colour to the sepals. They are 

 curved a little — less than the lateral sepals — and project outside 

 them; length 3^ mm., breadth i mm. or a little more. 



The lip is emerald green with malachite green at the lateral 

 borders. Its centre forms a shallow flat bottomed recess. The 

 borders of this recess are thickened particularly below and less so at 

 the sides. 



The sides of the lip are parallel and drawn forward on either 

 side of the column, but they end rounded below and not in auricles. 

 The apex has three teeth, of which the central is bent back on the 

 limb through about 40 degrees. From base to apex of this tooth, the 

 lip, measured outside, is 3 mm. long, but inside it is so attached to 

 the column that there is less than 2 mm. free. If the tip be flattened 

 it is found to be 2^ mm. across. 



The column is emerald green. The anther wall after the flower 

 opens shrivls and frees the pollinia upwards. It seems probable 

 that pollen can reach the stigma without the intervention of insects. 

 But the parts are so small that it is very difficult to ascertain what 

 usually happens. 



After flowering a purple line appears on the ovary down the 

 dorsal face from top to bottom, and two smaller fainter lines appear 

 on the ridges on either side : these ridges are slightly frilled. 



In the Annals of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, viii., 

 (1898) on plate 23 is figured the Sikkim form of this species. The 

 flowers of which are " red or occasionally jellow " (p. 20). 



I. H. BURKILL. 



THE SINGAPORE PRICKLY-PEAR. 



The Prickly pear which may he seen near the coast about 

 Tanjong Katong, on various roofs in Singapore town, sometimes in 

 Chinese gardens and often in pots in Chinese houses, is Opuntia 

 jnonacantha, Haw., and not Opuntia Dillenii, Haw., as recorded. 



Its home is in south-eastern Brazil, along the coastal districts ; 

 in which place it must have attracted the attention of early voyagers, 

 for there is a figure sufficiently accurately representing it in Lobel's 

 Icones which was published in A. D. I59I- 



It was certainly in english Winter-gardens about 170O; and 

 long before 1790, at which Sate the records for India begin, it was 

 taken to Southern India and Bengal so that in 1790 it had already 

 become widely distributed from Madras to Calcutta ; there is reason 

 to believe that it was in Cochin-China also at the same period. The 

 shoots were supplied to ships for a vegetable because, although 



