CATASETUM. 



ORGHIDES. 575 



Flowers al Sioii iu ihe possession of Uis Grace llie Duke of Nortliumberlantl. 

 Habit of C. tridentatum, but its flowers are in a dense erect racenie , and of a deep 

 green colour, spolted witb a dull blackisb purple so as lo look as if they were 

 soiled wiih soot. Sepals and petals are spotted, oblong:, acute and redexed, so as to 

 hang downwards. The lip on ihe other hand is fleshy, hooded, stained with pa!e 

 purple , and either enlire al the niargin, or very slighily serraled; bul it does not 

 cover over ihe coiunni as is usual in the hoodcd Cataseta, ou the contrary ii spreads 

 away at alniost right angles. The column ilself is short, deep green , and produced 

 at ihe point iiito a straight brislle in front of which is placed a siuall and imperfect 

 anilier. In this mesquine genus it is impossiblo lo say, what is a species and whal is 

 not. Judging from the evidonce we possess concerning C. tridentalum, crisiatum , 

 and viridc. we should suspect it to be a male form of C. atialum, or some such spe- 

 cies. Thai howevcr must remain for future enquiry. 



36. MONACHANTUUS VIRIDIS Lindl. B. Reg. XXJ. 1836. 1752 : 



Racemo multifloro, labello obloni>o cuspidalo inarginc laevi, supalis 

 petalisque rigidis ovatis. 



Flores carnosi hGrbacei, labeili marginc vitelliiia. Scpala ovata , acuta , rigida. 

 petalis paralleia. Petala conformia , sod laiiora et raaculis quibusdam purpurois cb- 

 scuris notata. Lnbollum posticum ventricosum, carnosum , l''o pollices longum, ore 

 oblique laevi cuspidnto. Columna brcvis, ovata, caniosa. mutica. Planta facie omnino 

 C. tridentati, quo foliis el caule tantum convenit ul floribus ablalis eaiulem diceres. 



Brazii upon tho trees of Corcovado. 



Huc : Cypripcdium cothurmim (Vellozo) Arrab. Flum. IX. 63. 



De heteranihls Catasetis. 



Jam anno 1852 in disserlatione ,,dc pollinis Orchidearum gcncsi" casus quosdam at- 

 luli de heteranthis Catasetis. Tamen nullo modo garrulornm istorum insiar rem es- 

 plicare ausus sum. 



Res primum innotuil cl. Lindley: iJot. Reg. XII. fol. 966, 1826. Aprili : „Tho un- 

 importance of ihe peculiarilyl, which exists in the labellum (unmely its flattened, or 

 fringed, and crcsted stale) is manifesied in a singular manner by a curious monster 

 of ihis plant, which we liave observed on an individual in ihe Horticultural Society's 

 garden. Among flowers of the ordinary structure two or threc were observed, in 

 which ihe labellum was precisely of Iho same naiure as that of Catasetura tridenta- 

 lum; tliat is to say, destitute of the crcsled appendage, and pcrfcclly galeate and 

 naked. 



Liiidl. Boi. Reg. XXIII. 1951* (1837): Bacemus floribus 16, quorum 7 iMyanthi 

 cristati, reliqui Monaclianlhi. ,, Monachanthi et Myantlii prolcs biformis." ,, The 

 monster sent by his Grace llie Dukc of Dcvonshire vvas produccd on a plaiit of My- 

 anthus cristatus , which also produccd a perfcct spike oi Myanlhus cristatus 

 ai the same time ; the same plaiit has flowered twice helore , but did not 

 sport : a high state of cultivation appears to favour tli ? production of monsters 

 of ihis kind. There aic more than iwcnty plants ofMyanihus Ijarbatus al Chatsworth, 

 which are alrnost all difl^erent in colour, but none of them havc yel sported; ihere 

 are also at least iwenly plants of Monachanlhus discolor , which keop true. Mr. 

 Hillhouse (a gentleman rcsiding a Demerara), has informed the Duke of Devonshire, 

 thal a Dower spike of Catasetum often has on il several disiinct kinds of flowers." 



To make ihe reader more distinctly aware of the cbanges that llic flowers of this 

 specimen exhibit , I will describe one of ihose of tlie species in iis ordinary state. 

 It has narrow , ovate, lanceolate, green sepals, of which the two lateral ones are 

 placed obUquely on each side of ihe hp ; ihe petals are narrow , spotted with red, 

 and placed almost in froui of ihe upper sepal; thc lip is a narrow , flaitish , flesliy 



