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XXXIII. On the Identity of three supposed Genera of Orchideous Epiphytes. In 

 a Letter to A. B. Lambert, Esq., F.P.L.S. By Mr. Robert H. Schomburgk. 



Read November 15th, 1836. 



In a letter which I had the pleasure to address to Mr. Bentham, on the 

 28th of June last year, I informed him of a remarkable Orchideous plant, 

 from appearance a Monachanthtis, which on one side of the bulb produced a 

 scape with six flowers of Monachanthus viridis, and two of the Myantkus bur- 

 hatus, while a second scape of the same bulb had twenty-five blossoms of the 

 Myunthus barhatus. This plant was in possession of Mr. Reiss, who, when 

 both scapes were in full flower, took the accompanying drawing (Tab. XXIX.) 

 of it, and preserved the stem with the flowers of Monachaiithus viridis and 

 Myunthus barbatus in spirits, which I have likewise the pleasure to send 

 herewith, and beg you to present it in my name to the Linnean Society. 



If the circumstance of a bulb of the Monachanthus producing conjointly 

 tlie flowers of its own genus and Myunthus had occurred only in this instance, 

 it might be considered one of those freaks of Nature which not unfrequently 

 occur ; but the case just quoted is not singular, and has been observed at least 

 once more in a collection of Orchideous plants belonging to a lady, where the 

 same species of Monachanthus produced also flowers of the Myunthus bar- 

 batus. 



The thought impresses itself, therefore, forcibly upon me, that the genera 

 Monachanthus, Myanthus, and Catasetum form but one genus, and in this 

 conclusion I am borne out by the following observations. 



A vigorous plant, which produced at its former state of inflorescence the 

 flowers of Monachanthus viridis, had two months ago a scape with flowers of 

 Catasetum tridentatum ; this occurred at Mr. Wortman's collection at Canal, 

 No. 1. 



Mr. Bach, an enthusiastic collector of Orchideous plants, sowed the seed 



