ORCHIDACEiK. 383 



A flower of Cattleya violacea afforded a similar illustration ; but in 

 this case only one of the inner stamens was developed, and this in the 

 form of a small petal, partly adherent to the column. 



In Dendrobium normale, Falconer, not only is the perianth regular, 

 but the column is triandrous,' the three stamens (according to the 

 diagram of its structure given by Lindley) pertaining to the outer row. 



In a specimen of Dendrobium hcemoglossum kindly forwarded from 

 Ceylon by Mr. Thwaites there were three stamens present, of which 

 one posterior belonged to the outer series A 1, and two lateral to the 

 inner a 1, a 2, fig. 192. 



M. His observed, several years in succession, some flowers of a species 

 of Ophrys with three sepals, no lateral petals, one lip, and three perfect 

 stamens. In this case probably the two supernumerary stamens were 

 petals which had assumed an anther-like character. 



Wydler describes a flower of Ophrys aranifera in which one outer and 

 two inner stamens were present." I have myself met with three such 

 flowers in the same species. The stamens present were A 1, u 1, a 2. 



Dr. J. E. Gray exhibited at the Botanical Society of London, in 

 August, 1843, a specimen of 0phi~y8 apifera with a triandrous column, 

 the supemumeraiy anthers belonging, apparently, to the inner whorl. 



In his ' Catalogue of the Plants of South Kent,' p. 56, tab. iv, f. 16, 

 the Rev. G. E. Smith describes and figui'es a flower of 0. aranifera with 

 a triandrous column, seemingly of the same kind as that spoken of by 

 Dr. Gray. 



Ml*. Moggridge met with a triandrous flower in the same species, and 

 refers the appearance to "a fusion of two flowers, accompanied by 

 suppression and modification."^ As, however, no details are given in 

 support of this opinion, it may be conjectured that the two additional 

 stamens were members of the inner whorl a 1, a 2, and thus the confor- 

 mation would be the same as in the flowers just mentioned. The figures 

 given by Mr. Moggindge beai* out this latter view, while they lend no 

 support to the hypothesis advanced by him. Nevertheless, no decided 

 opinion can be pronounced by those who have not had the opportunity 

 of examining the flowers in question. 



Alphonse de Candolle* figures a flower of MaxtUaria in exactly the 

 same condition, so far as the stamens are concerned, as in the Ophrys 

 flowers just mentioned. It is curious to observe that in many of these 

 cases the two lateral petals are suppressed. 



Yon Martins mentions the occurrence of three anthers {naiuraliter 



' Lindl., " Orchid. Ind.," * Jour. Linn. Soc.,' iii, p. 9. 



' ' Arch. Bot.,' ii, p. 300. tab. xvi, f. 11. 



' ' Secmann's Journal of Botany,' v, p. 318, tab. Ixxii, figs. A 4, -i > 



* " Monstr. Veg.," in ' Neue Denkschrift,' p. 17, tab. vii. 



