54 



flowering time ; probably a hybrid between Thea Sasanqua and T. japonica 

 with the characters of T. Sasanqua more predoiuinatiug. 



Dendrobium tosaense Maldno, 111. Fl. Jap. I. n. 8 (1891) p. 1, tab. 46. 



An epiphytic orchiil. Rhizome not long, creeping, densely rooting, 

 attaining about 4cm. long; roots fibrous, filiform. Stems few to several 

 to a rhizome, closely placed, tufted, elongate, slender, simple, many-articu- 

 lated, often somewhat contracted at nodes, many-foliate, but old ones 

 bare from fallen leaves, shortly and ovoidly thick at the base, 2-85 cm. 

 long, a new stem produced annually outside that of the preceding year ; 

 internodes cylindrical, scarcely enlarged above, sub-carnnse, at length striate, 

 dark-purple or dark-viridescent within the sheath, about 1-4 cm. long. 

 Leaves alternate, distichous, loose, lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, acute, 

 shortly attenuated to a very short petiole or subsessile at the base, smooth 

 on the entire margins, glabrous, smooth, membranaceo-coriaceous, green 

 above, slightly ligliter beneath, somewhat channelled in centre above, about 

 2J-71 cm, long, f-lf cm. wide, evergreen ; veins close but inconspicuous 

 superficially in recent, transverse veinlets loose and not conspicuous; sheath 

 membranaceous, closely enclosing the internode, viridescent with purpurascent 

 colour, but albo-cineraceous or cineraceo-avellaneous in age. Racemes lateral 

 on the upper and sometimes also middle portions of the stem, one to a node, 

 simple, laxly 2-5-flowered ; rachis gracile, flexuous, smooth, glabrous, 3-7^ 

 cm. long, with membr.inaceous minute scaly sheaths at the base ; bracts 

 minute, subulate, acute, shorter than pedicels. Flowers medium-sized, yel- 

 lowish-viridescent. Perianth sub-patent, acute. Sepals: the upper one 

 lanceolate; lateral ones broader, adhering with a large foot at the column 

 and enclosing the base of the labellum. Petals smaller than sepals, lan- 

 ceolate. Labellum standino- at the end of the foot of the column, recurved, 

 obovate, acute, the lower portion attenuated towards the base and thicker 

 in the middle with slightly inflexed margins, the upper portion patent, 

 dark-purple in the central portion internally. Column short, erect, provided 

 with a thick basal foot which adheres with the base of the lateral sepals 

 by its long back ; clinandrium concave, with three erect processes on margin. 

 Anther terminal, ovate, bifid at the apex, adhering to the dorsal process 

 of the clinandrium by a point in the back. Pollinia 4, in two pairs, 

 waxy. Ovary filiform, pedicellate. Capsule obovoid-oblong, attenuated 

 below to a pedicel 1^-2^ cm. long, shortly attenuated above, smooth. 

 3-ribbed, 2-3i cm. long, 9-13 mm. across. Flowers in August. 



