126 



doubtful habitat. In a note he adds: "Some specimens from 

 Plenty Range, F. Mueller, seem referable to this species 

 rather than to P. cucullata." 



F. von Mueller regards it as a variety of P. cucuUata. 



Rodway, in his "Flora of Tasmania," seems to have fallen 

 into a curious error in supposing that this species is figured 

 in Hooker's ''Flora Tasmanica" as P. pe dune id at a. This 

 figure, with its sessile basal leaves and small flowers, is cer- 

 tainly not meant to represent P. furcafa : although, on the 

 other hand, it is not a faithful picture of P. peduncuJata. 

 (The points of difiFerential diagnosis will be dealt with later.) 

 This plant certainly occurs in Victoria, as in January of this 

 year I had forwarded to me several specimens from Cockatoo 

 Creek, near Fern Tree Cully, Victoria. 



Botanical Description. 



Plant from 6 to 10 inches high. 



Basal leaves shortly petiolate ; 3-5 in number ; ovate to 

 lanceolate-ovate ; margin entire. 



Bracts large, leaf-like, loosely sheathing. Often 1 inch 

 to IJ inches long. Usually two or three in number. 



Flower solitary, erect: 1;^ to IJ inches long. 



Galea markedly beaked. 



Lower lij) erect, including rather an acute sinus: with 

 long filamentous or narrow linear points embracing the galea, 

 which they exceed in height. 



Lahellum oblong-linear, rather wider at the base than 

 at the point, which is narrowly obtuse. For the greater part 

 of its length it occupies a vertical position, but is gently re- 

 curved in its distal fourth. It is reddish-brown in colour, not 

 twisted, has a raised mesial longitudinal line, and does not 

 protrude through the sinus. Its basal appendage is curved, 

 with a bifid tuft at its extremity. 



The column is much shorter than the labellum, with a 

 short subulate process from the upper angle of the wing. 



The stifimatic surface is elliptical, and occupies rather 

 more than the middle third of the column. 



Differential Diagnosis. 



(a) P. pedunculata (Br.) Basal leaves are wider, more 

 obtuse, and have much longer petioles. Bracts scale-like and 

 closely-sheathing. Flowers much smaller, rarely more than 

 |-inch long. Column is lonr/er than lahellvm. The labellum 

 is almost elliptical. 



fh) P. curta (Br.) Basal leaves larger, much broader, 

 and more obtuse. Bracts larger than in iiednuculata, but 

 small when compared with jurcata. Inferior sepals acuminate 



