Il. THE IDENTITY OF MORMODES LINEATUM AND 
M. HISTRIO 
In publishing the original description of Mormodes 
lineatum Batem. in 1841, Lindley wrote that the plant 
was ‘‘a native of Guatemala, whence it had been sent by 
both Mr. Skinner and Mr. Hartweg.’’ The species was 
described as having ‘‘dull olive-green flowers, striped and 
spotted with dull brown.’’ The linear, fleshy, sparsely 
pilose, incurved lip was described as having a tooth on 
each side near the base which varied in length from ‘‘half 
a line to two lines,’’ approximately one to four milli- 
meters long. 
A year later, 1842, a plant was illustrated as M.linea- 
tum in the Botanical Register (Vol. 28, t. 48). The 
flowers of this plant were apparently so different from 
the flowers described the year before that Lindley wrote 
at the time, ‘“Ihe flowers, when they first appeared, were 
dull olive green, and by no means handsome; they have 
since acquired a bright warm tint, and the markings upon 
them have increased in intensity till they have become 
quite ornamental.’’ The densely pilose lip of the flowers, 
instead of having asmall tooth on each side near the base 
(as given in the original description), is clearly shown as 
prominently three-lobed ; the twisted lateral lobes being 
nearly as long as the mid-lobe. It is evident that the 
plant illustrated as M./ineatum was not the same species 
as that originally described as M.lineatum. 
In 1859, Linden and Reichenbach filius described J. 
histrio from Mexico. The flowers, which were said to be 
similar to those of M.lineatum (a statement apparently 
based on the illustration in the Botanical Register), were 
described as having purplish sepals and petals and a yel- 
low lip. The lip was described as smooth and three-lobed. 
The lateral lobes were said to be faleate and twisted;. 
the mid-lobe linear and acute. 
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