268 ORCHIDES. 



ERIA. 



nuii. Folia 'A — 2 poll. longa. 2Vi — 3 lin. lata . pseudobulbi folia non gerentes. — 

 Crescit supra arbores , praecipue in ramis Mangiferae Indicae, in regno Warreensi; 

 n. Aug. 



4. ERIA FILIFORMIS. Huc : Dendrobium filiformc R. Wight. Ic. V. 1. (1851) 1642: 

 Caespitose, pseudobulbs depressed , flattened, suborbicular, nelted 



on the surface; leaves 2 — 3, ovate oblong, somewhat obtuse, slightly 

 cuspidate; raceme erect, filiform; few, 2— 3-to many (10— 12) flowered'; 

 bracts ovate, acute, longer than the ovary; sepals mu3h attenuated 

 subulate, pointed. dilated at the base, adnate to the process of the 

 column forming a short obtuse saccate spur: petals about equalling the 

 sepals and nearly thrice as long as the narrow ovate lip. Fiowers 

 straw colour. 



Neilgherries and Jyamally Hills near Coimbatore, on branches of tree Bombay-tay. 

 Bracts more boatshaped, than represented, The Figure of column and lip more highly 

 magnif. , than the other dissections. 



Huc porro: D. Valzelli Hook. in Hook. Journ. Bot. IV. 292 (1852). D.timbriatumDazl. 

 Pseudobulbis caespitosis orbiculatis valde depressis reticulatis epi- 

 dermide albida, foliis paucis (4—5) linearibus obtusiusculis mucronatis 

 basin versus complicatis, scapo centrali solitario tereti apice florifero 

 folio intimo breviore, bracteis aiternis bifariis subulatis ovario sessili 

 triplo longioribus, floribus 10 — 20 secundis slramineis minutis, sepalis 

 petalisque subaequalibus falcalis acutis patentibus margine glandulis 

 capitatis fimbriatis, labello petalis duplo breviore oblongo basi carnoso 

 etuberculato medio apice margine membranacea lacerata reflexa alba 

 terminato. 



Folia suprema (1—2) 3—6 poll. longa. 5 lin. lata . inferiora valde abbreviata, Flores 

 2V2 lin. longi. — Crescit in arboribus ad Ram Ghat; 11. Julio, 



On my flrst gatbering this Orchid I thought it was merely a robust variety of Den- 

 drobium microchilos (mihi) , described in vol. III. of this Journal , but a nearer exa- 

 mination proved it to be a distinct species. The margins of the petals and sepals are 

 beautifully friged wiih capitate glands in a double row , while in D. microchilos tbe 

 margin is naked; but the greatest distinciion is in the lip , which in D. microchilos 

 is fleshy throughout, much narrower towards the ape.x , and furnished with two tu- 

 bercles at the base. The habit of bolh plants is well illustrated by Wighfs ..Icone,s" 

 Ko. 1642 , which represents one of them , though I am really unable to say 

 which. 



5, ERIA SLNICA Lindl, Contr. 48. Huc Conchidium Sinicum Lindl. sp. n. ; Bentham Flora 

 Hongkongens, in Kew gard. misc. VH. 34. 



Foliis membranaceis scapo bifloro subaequalibus, labello serralo, 

 bracteis acuminatis. 



This curious little plani forms pale grcen tufts . which easily cscape observation. It 

 is distinguished from Conchidium pusillum . Griff. . wliich is Phreatia unitlora Wight. 

 by its tliin leaves , and very short two - flowered scapes ; ihe lip is moreover very 

 distinctly serrated. (Lindl.) 



On bare rocks, on the top of Victoria Peak , flowering in November. It is caespi- 

 tose , with numerous aggregated pseudo - tubers. Leaves minute , oblong. apiculate, 

 veinless except ihe midrib , 3—4 lines long , in pairs on each tuber, Scape flliform, 

 about as long as the leaves, solitary on each tuber. bracteaic at ihe top . and having 

 iwo flowers nearly as iarge as the leaves, ot a dirty yellowish- green , and slightly 

 lelid. Sepals and petals nearly cqual, the side scpnls broader at the base and co- 

 liering wiih the saccaie spur. Column very shori and roundcd. Anther - case some- 

 what 3-lobed. imperfecily 4-cellcd. Pollen - masses 8, cohering by pairs into two 

 seis. (Champ.) 



