562 ORCHIDES. 



CYCNOCHES. 



Lindl. Sert. Tb. 33 : Mexico. Darker imp. La Guayra, — Long slender stems 

 from tlie sides of wiiich spring forth 4 long racemes. each having about 80 Qowers. 

 Leaves of Catasetum. Racemes l'/,', at the base with nuraerous thin leafy scales. 

 Flower - stalks reciangiilar wiih the axis. Each flower when expanded measures 

 nearly 3" from tip to lip of divisions; yellowish ground colour on which are dis- 

 tributed nuraerous rich brown blotches. Sepals and petals lanceolate. wavy. spread- 

 ing in a starry but rather one- sided manner. Labellum continuous with the food of 

 the column. upon wliich ii seems as if inserted; general form linear-lanceolate. In 

 thc middle wbite, divided at ihe edge on each side into about 5 round fleshy crooked 

 lingers spoited with purple ; beiween ibe front pair oi v.hich^s placed a siraight 

 fleshy horn directed backwards, greener ihan any of the fingers . ihe upper end is 

 thin , lanceolate, acuminate, wbite wiih 3 purplespois, of whicb one is near ibe 

 point, and 'the others lower down and nearly equidisiant frora themselves and 

 the margin. Column very long , quite taper at the base, enlarged into a ibick knob 

 at ihe apex . purple , spotted with a ligbier shade of tbe same , at the back of tbe 

 anther it is extended into a lobed horn. below wbich the aniher is inserted upon a 

 fllament. Caudic. very long, upon a large round fleshy gland. Rchb. lil. Bonpl. IL 9. 

 Caracas. VVagener. ' ^ 



B. Species una melius nota. 



CYCNOCHES VENTRICOSUM Bat. I. c. 



a. genuinum. C. ventricosuin Bai. Orch. Mex. Guat. 5. 



b. Egertonianum. C. Egertonianum Bat. 1. c. 40. Cf. Bot. Reg. XXLK. 1843. 



Misc. 117. (usque ad : ,.seeds." ibi ex Bateman I, c.) : 



..Among Mr. Skinners earliest Guatemala colleclion atlention was parlicularly di- 

 rected to ihe specimens of a plani. wbich to the habit of a Cycnoches joined the long 

 pendulous siems of a Gongora and lor ihe possession of which in a living state , no 

 small anxiety was entertained. Some plants were speadily transmitted by Mr. Skinner, 

 but ihese on flowering, proved lo be merely ihe old C. ventricosum. \ mistake was 

 of course suspected, and Mr, Skinner, being again applied to, seat over a fresh supply 

 of plants, , for ihe authenticity of wbich he vouched; but these were scarcely settled 

 in ihe stove, when flowers of C. ventricosum were again produced. Mr. Skinner 

 beiiig iniportuned for the third time. and being Ihen on the poini of relurning lo this 

 country, determined to take one of tbe plants under his special proiection during 

 voyage. which, flowering on the passage , seemed to preclude ihe possibiliiy of fur- 

 ther confusion or disappointment. Thc specimens produced at sca wcre exhibitcd 

 and the plant itself placed in the stove at Knypersley, where it commeiiced growing 

 wilh the uimost vigour. The season of flowering soou arrived, but brought wiih it a 

 recurrence of ihe lormer scene of asionishraent and vexation, lor ihe blossoms, in- 

 stead of those of tbe covoted noveliy , were not distinguisbable from tbe old C. ven- 

 tricosura.J Tbese were still banging to ihe stem , when ihe inexplicable plant sent 

 fortb a spike of a toially difl^ereni cbaracter, and which was , in fact, precisely simi- 

 lar to the specimens gaihered in Guateniala . and to those produced oii the voyage. 

 U is, at present , impossible to atierapt any explanation of so strange a phenomenon 

 especially on the supposition . that the two forms of flowers are analogous to 

 ihe cT and $ blossoms of other tribes . for C. ventricosum alone not unfre- 

 quently perfects seeds." — Thc plant here alluded to is a Cycnoches, which at one 

 time bcars large green flowers , in a short spike , with broad flat sepals and petals 

 nnd a convex wbiie ovate undivided labelluni, and at another produces small blackish 

 simple flowers in a very long drooping spike, wiili narrow sepals and pelais rolled 

 back upon ihe stalk , and a circuiar purple labellum with ibe edge brokea u|) into 

 many flngers, a lancet-shapcd appendage at tlie point , and a kind of horn spriiiging 

 from ibe middle. Tbese ihings are so toially ditferent, ihai notwithstandiiig the 

 strange sporlings represented at fol. 1951 of this work, and the unquestionable aulho- 



