80 INTRODUCTION. 
Neottieze completely absent, and the Ophrydex constitute 93 per cent. 
of all Cape Peninsular Orchids. There are only two genera common 
to both, viz., Liparis and Eulophia, which, however, are of almost 
world-wide distribution; and not a single identical species. 
These divergences would, of course, not be inconsistent with the pro- 
bability of the ancient genetic connection of the vegetation of Australiaand 
South-western South Africa (and with the hypothesis of the continuity 
of the land between them in some remote geological period), especially if 
the supposition of the comparatively recent development of the Order 
Orcuive® should hereafter be strengthened by more direct evidence of 
its truth. We should then infer that the Order had become differentiated 
in each region at a period much later than the Orders ProrEacem and 
Restiace®, so distinctively characteristic of both countries, and perhaps 
subsequent to the submergence of the land which connected them. 
One of the most marked characteristics of the Order in South 
Africa, and also, as will be seen, on the Cape Peninsula, is the presence 
of the Coryciew, regarded by Bentham (in the ‘Genera Plantarum’) as 
a sub-tribe of the Ophrydex. The structure of the column in this 
group is often very singular, and presents peculiarities which separate 
it widely from all other Cape Orchids. One of these is the tendency 
to a separation of the two stigmas which are most usually confluent. 
In some species the stigma is merely bilobed; but in others there are 
two, situate on either side of the column, and widely distant from each 
other. A second peculiarity is the great degree of cohesion between 
the lip and the column. 
The Corycie are almost confined to Southern Africa. Of the four 
recognised genera, three are strictly so; while of the fourth, Disperis, 
two-thirds of the species are also thus restricted, the remainder crossing 
the tropic, with outliers in the Mascarene Islands, and one in India. 
Of the 46 known South-African species of this sub-tribe, 22 occur on 
the Cape Peninsula. 
TV.—Comparison witH THE OrcHtp-FLoRA OF OTHER COUNTRIES. 
In comparing the Orchid-Flora of the Cape Peninsula with that of 
other countries we are met by the difficulty of finding regions of about 
the same size, in the same latitude, and existing under somewhat 
similar physical conditions. These may be sought in vain; and we 
can only avail ourselves of instances which approximate in some slight 
degree to those of the region here treated of. 
In Montevideo, lying in nearly the same latitude as Cape Town, 
there are recorded in Gibert’s ‘Knumeratio Plantarum sponte nas- 
centium in agro Montevidensi’ (Montevideo, 1878) 5 genera and 11 
species of Orchids. But, unfortunately, the author gives no information 
as to the area of the region he has investigated. 
