576 ORCHIDES. 



CATASETUM. 



body, having- a sacco conical depression (fig. 4c.) in iis middle, a largo, curved, 

 white , fleshy horn (flg. 4) projecting forwards from its base , and a row of stifl, 

 Oeshy teeih sianding up all round the edge. The column has a long horn rising up 

 from its back, and forming a narrow bed for the anther , while iwo olher horns or 

 cirrhi (fig. 4 a.) hanging downwards over ihe lip. 



In otlier flowers. which may be said lo exhibit the extreme of difl^ercnce , ihe se- 

 pals and petals are all equally spotless, of the same short, ovate, obtuse figure , and 

 spread equally round the column; ihe lip is a fleshy hood-like. or heiraet-Iike, 

 greenish yeilow body, a liitle lurned back at the point , enlirely wiihout sac, horns 

 or marginal teeih and sianding erect, so as to overshadow the column. The coiumn 

 itself has an exceedingly short horn at the back , and no cirrhi in front. I ihink I 

 may safely say , ihat until these iwo sorts of flowers had been seen on the racemes, 

 no Oedipus could have guessed them to belong to either the same species or even 

 genus. — Tbe wviy in which they pass into each other is sufficiently curious , as 

 far as regards the lip. All ihe fringe like teeth of this organ disappear, except a 

 few ai the basc on one side (flg. 3. a), the curved horn shortens (flg. 3 b.), and the 

 remaindcr coiilrocts about the sac, vvhich widens and deepens till the commencement 

 of a helmet is shadowed out. In anolher case all the fringes disappear except a 

 few minute brisiles (6g. 1. a.), Ihe lateral cirrhi are not formed , the curved horn is 

 wanting, and the helmet-like form rn the lip is completed. All these iransitions were 

 perfectly shewn in ihese in the Duke of Devonshire's specimen, anJ have been faith- 

 fully copied by Miss Diake. On ihe same specimen was also a case of a flower with 

 iwo lips, as is rejireseMied at fig. 2. — The necessary conscquence of this is, that the 

 supposed genera Myanthus and Monachantlius raust be restored to Caiasetum , and I 

 have no doubt uow, although no proof has been seen of it, tbatMormodes must share 

 the same fate. But which of the species have iheir raasks on , and which shew 

 their rcal faces I certainly will not at present presume to guess. — Mr. Schomburgk 

 has lately sent to the Linnaean Sociely , from Demerara , a specimen of another Mo- 

 nachanllius, sporting to a ciested Myanihus, of wliich, I presume, some account will 

 in duc time be published. Aud I am acquainted with the following example of this 

 lendency in a vcry difl^erent genus. — Im August 1836, Wr. VVillmcr. of Oldfield, 

 near Dirmingliam. senl me a specimen of a Cycnoches , which had broad petals , a 

 short column, hooded and dilalod ai the apex , and a broad roundish lip, gibbous at 

 the basc. and wilh iis slalk much shorter than ihe column. It was, however , desti- 

 lute of scent, while Cycnoches Loddigesii has , as is well known , a delicious odour 

 of Vanilla. I iiad iio doubt of its bcing a distinct species , and called it C. cucullata. 

 Dut in the autumn of 1836, in the garden of ihe Horticulturai Society , a plant of 

 Cycnoches produced from ihe opposite sides of ihe same siem two racemes; those 

 of onc racemc were ihe wellkiiown fragraiit flowers of Cycnoches Loddigesii , and 

 of Ihc other ihe scentlcss flowers of the new C. cucullata. 



Hook. Ic. II. Tdb. CLXXVIl. (183?.). Calasclum crislalum var. monstrosum : 



In regard to tlie present singular monstrosity some infornialion rospecting it was 

 many inoiilhs bnck comm. to mc by Dr. Schomburgk from Demerara and the speci- 

 men was sent to Dr. Brown in London. Shortly afier my friend and former pupil, 

 Dr. Nimono favoured me with ihe plant here Ugured , prcserved in spirils. In the 

 meanwhile a fine specimcn flowercd al Sion llouse, wliich Prof Lindley flgurcd in 

 Bot. Reg. 



Lindl. Bot. Reg. XXIV. 1838. sub Tab. 63: Catasvlum : 



There is a circumstance obscrvcd by Mr. Schomburgk in a connection with them, 

 which is very curious and deserves to be recorded. In a letter I received from him 

 some time since, hc says, alluding to Monachanihus „are you aware, that Catasetum 

 and Myanthns are not seed-bearing, but ihat Monachantlius bears seed abundantly ?" 

 I do not know, what conclusion to draw from this statement. but it would be a mosl 

 curious fast, if, as Mr. S. observations would appear to imply, the species of Cata- 

 setum and Myanthus should prove to be stcrile states of Monachanthus. 



