10-13 cm. long, bracts broadly ovate concave, densely glandular-hairy, 

 about as long as the ovaries, flowers small glabrous ; side sepals free 

 oblong sub-acute, gibbous at the base, ascending and then reflexed, 

 about 8 mill, long ; odd sepal together with the adherent linear- 

 spathulate petals forming a lanceolate subacute erect hood, as long as 

 the side sepals ; lip anticous erect ovate hooded, apex contracted acute 

 recurved, covered with minute warty protuberances on the outer side, 

 the margins adhering to tlie column for two-thirds of its length and 

 about equalling it in length, bigibbous at the base, each gibbosity 

 furnished within with a round coloured callus ; column erect hemi- 

 cylindrical tubular hyaline, produced at the apex into an anticous 

 bilobed rostellum, lobes erect falcate-subulate, produced into a minute 

 foot at base ; anther situate behind the rostellum, semi-immersed in 

 the tube of the column, erect lanceolate, cells distinct ; pollinia granu- 

 lar, pendulous on 2 caudicles, gland very minute ; stigma anticous, 

 immediately below the rostellum, horse-shoe -shaped, cushioned, mar- 

 gined by a narrow membrane ; capsule oblong, 9 mill. long. 



Described from several excellent dried specimens of Wood, the 

 flowers analysed and drawn from specimens freshly preserved in glyce- 

 rine. Colour of the flowers according to Wood "greenish-yellow," 

 (" brownish " according to Barter). I have hesitated for some time as 

 to the genus of this plant. When it was first sent to Kew by Mr. Wood 

 it was named Spiranthes by Mr. N. E. Brown, who considered that 

 Platylepis should be entirely removed to that genus. In looking at the 

 fine figure of yeutiia speciosa in Jacquin's Icones Plant. Ear. t. 600, I 

 was immediately struck by the strong resemblance in general type of 

 the column of that plant to the one now treated of, and I think it 

 probable that, dissimilar as they are in other respects, these two species 

 must find their ultimate place in the same genus. The tubular 

 character of the column (a tube quite independent of, and included 

 within, the partial tube formed by its union with the lip) in both is 

 very remarkable ; and this appears to me to be of more importance 

 than the relative length of that organ, and also more than differences 

 in the perianth, or in the habit. Richard, and Lindley following him, 

 removed Neottia speciosa to Stenorhynchus as S. speciosus, Lindley 

 expressly stating that after much consideration he had determined 

 upon regarding it as distinct from Spiranthes. Bentham, however 

 {Gen. Plant, iii, p. 596) included Stenorhynchus in Spiranthes as a 

 section of the latter genus. Pfitzer (Xatuoliche J'jianzenftimilien ii, 6, 

 pp. 112, 115) maintains both Stenorhynchus and Platylepis, though in 

 difl'erent subtribes of his Neottiineae, including .S'. speciosus, Puck, in the 

 former, and, apparently, our present plant in the latter. It appears to 

 me that both of these differ too widely from the European species of 

 Spiranthes to be joined with them generically. No doubt the proper 

 location and arrangement of many of these smaller genera can only be 

 effected after a careful dissection of all of them, with ample material, 

 when quite possibly our present plant may be fitly joined with Steno- 

 rhynchus, or even with Goodyera. Meantime, to avoid a new name 

 which may probably have to be altered, I have thought it best to adopt 

 Reichenbach's last published name. My friend Mr. C. B. Clarke, of 

 Kew, who was also kind enough to look into this matter for me, points 

 out that the nearest ally of the present species is Platylepis goody eroides, 

 Eeichenbachjil, 



