94 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



narrowed labellum, resembling that of P. obtusa. Besides, from 

 both P. ctirta and P. cucullata the partly brownish-dark colour- 

 ation of the flower, not dissimilar to that in P. vittata, distinguish 

 it, although it should be remembered, that Chiloglottis Gunnii, 

 Prasophyllum elatum and Orthoceras strictum vary in this 

 respect as much as could be, green or dark-coloured, whereas in 

 P. vittata the tinge of the flowers is not subject to alterations. 



Incidentally it may here be observed that Mr. M'Kibbin 

 cultivated a plant from Port-Phillip, which, though more robust 

 and bearing larger leaves, seems also referable to P. curta, not 

 without some approach to P. cucullata. 



P. curta occurs in the Australian Alps (Stirling), Brodribb- 

 River (Merrell), Loddon (Dickinson). 



Again P. curta comes in floral characters, particularly the 

 labellum, near P. obtusa. The development of stem-leaves on 

 expense of the radical leaves is no specific note, to separate 

 P. pyramidalis from P. nana. 



In the Botanical Magazine, plate 3,085, P. nutans is figured as 

 possessing a glabrous labellum, and Bentham describes that organ 

 as merely ciliolate, as indeed it appears when viewed from 

 beneath ; the surface however is copiously beset with minute 

 hairlets, by which peculiarity this species is still more easily dis- 

 tinguished from several allied congeners. The lamented Mr. 

 Fitzgerald gave also in this instance a faithful illustration, as we 

 all know, for his superb work. His P. hispidula can however not 

 be specifically separated. P. nutans has been sent from Mt. 

 Dromedary by the late Mr. Reader, from the Peel-River by Mr. 

 Musson, Glenelg-River (Eckert), Ovens-River (Miss Henley), 

 Hume-River (Jephcott) and Macleay-River (Miss Carter). 

 The ripe fruit and matured seeds of all our native orchids should 

 be studied specially for possibly new diagnostic notes. P. curta 

 is delineated in Guillemin's " Icon. Plant. Austral. " on plate ii. 

 Extends to Peel-River (Ch. Musson). 



P. cucullata as well as some other congeners are very variable 

 as regards the length of the thin attenuation of the lower calyx- 

 lobes ; grows also at Mt. AVilliam (Sullivan), Hume-River (C. 

 French, jun.) and Snowy-River (Baeuerlen). Occasionally flowers 

 smaller. Mr. Ch. French, sen. found this near Port-Phillip in 

 somewhat peaty Melaleuca-thickets drawn up to fully five feet. 

 The distinctions between P. cucullata and P.furcata are probably 

 not specific. 



P. concinna has sometimes the radical leaves dispersed upwards, 

 two or three being placed on the stem. It flowers here in June. 

 At the Derwent sometimes the stems attain a length of nearly one 

 foot (Rodway). 



