^^ The South Austral ian Naturalist 



white variety has been occasionally met with. A plant will 

 remain in bloojn for several months if water is withheld from 

 the flowers. D. Kingiannm is a prolific grower usually found 

 on rocks and trees on the mountain tops in South Queensland 

 and Northern New South Wales. The flowers vary in colour 

 from reddish purple to almost white, and have a heliotrope-like 

 fragrance. D. falcorostrum was discovered by the late R. D. 

 Fitzgerald on trees at Mt. Banda, Macleay River, New South 

 Wales, and he states that the v\diite flowers expand in October 

 and exhale a sweet i)erfume \evy distinct from that of any other 

 native Dendrobium. The sides of the lip are festooned so as to 

 form a lobe near the point, the whole resembling the bill of a 

 falcon, hence the name which ]\Ir. Fitzgerald bestowed upon the 

 species. 



Dendrobium mono])hyllurii forms close masses on the 

 fig trees in the Queensland scrubs. The racemes of flowers have 

 the habit of the Lily of the Valley, but the flowers are yellow. 

 It is rather difficult to cultivate, and even on wild plants many 

 dead stems are usually seen. Several of the exotic Cymbidiums 

 furnisli showy flowers, but those in the Australian flora are 

 rather small and of a dull colour. They are usually met with 

 on dead or dying trees (Eucalypts and Tristanias for prefer- 

 ence), and will send their roots down the hollow trunks as far 

 as 12 or more feet. The flowers of most of the Bulbophyllums, 

 aiul even the whole plant of some, are insignificant, but those of 

 B. Bailej'i, a common j^lant of the North Queensland scrubs, are 

 quite worthy of notice, being of fair size, white with the outside 

 .sj)otted purple. 



The genus Sarcochilus is well represented in the Australian 

 floi-a and sui:)])lies several interesting species, and it is surpris- 

 ing how some exist when seen, as they often are, hanging b}' 

 ])erhaps one or two thread-like roots to the twigs of small trees 

 and swayed about by the wind. S. Hillii, the flowers of which 

 are white and sweet scented, or S. olivaceus, are good examples. 

 S. Fitzgerald i is abundant on rocks on Tambourine Mountain, 

 in Southern Queensland, and is very shov.y, the fairly large 

 flowers being snowy white, spotted with rich lake or maroon, 

 and are borne in gi-eat profusion. S. Hartmanni is a somewhat 

 similar ])lant, with the flowers spotted with red. It was at one 

 time conimon on the ranges about Toowoomba, South Queens- 

 land, but oAving to raids upon the plants by orchid-growers it is 

 nov\' rarely seen. S. falcatus and its variety montanus are not 

 gregarious like the two foregoing species. The flowers of the 

 normal form are white, while the purple stripes on the sepals 

 and i)etals and the red stripes and spots on the lip give the 

 variety an additional charm. 



