122 CXLVIII. ORCHIDE^E. (J. D. Hooker.) [Didymoplexis. 



D. pallens, Griff, in Calcutt. Journ. Nat. Hist. iv. 383, t. 17; 

 Hemsl. in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 311, t. 28 ; Kurt in Seem. Journ. Bot. 1866, 

 40 (excl. Syn. Epiblema & Gastrodia). Leucorchis sylvatica, Blume Mus. 

 Bot. i. 31 ; Orchid. Archip. Ind. 147, with woodcut. Apetelon minutum, 

 Wight Ic. t. 1758. Arethusa ecristata, Griff. Notul. iii. 378 ; Ic. Plant. 

 Asiat. t. 343, 344. A. bengalensis, Hort. Bot. Gale. Epiphanes pallens, 

 Reichb.f. in Seem. Fl. Vit. 296. 



LOWER BENGAL ; from the foot of the Sikkim Himalaya to Calcutta. KTJEG ; 

 in hamboo jungles, Jerdon. PERAK, Scortechini, Wray. 



Root branching and tuberous ; stem 4-6 in., sheaths loose. Racemes terminal, 

 4-8 fld. ; bracts broadly ovate ; flowers shortly pedicelled, dull yellow- white, perianth 

 in. diam. subcamparmlate ; dorsal sepal ovate, obtuse, hooded ; petals shorter and 

 broader than the dorsal sepal, truncate, 3-nerved ; lateral sepals united to the middle, 

 free portions obtuse ; lip stipitate, transversely or obcuneately oblong, membranous, 

 with 3-median nerves between which the disk is papillose. Capsule 1-1^ in., erect, 

 fusiform, pedicel 3-8 in. Ridley 1. c. distinguishes his D. pallens from Blume's 

 sylvatica by the entire lower lip of the latter, overlooking Blume's woodcut of the 

 sylvatica, which represents it as 2-lobed. 



100. GASTRODXA, Br. 



Terrestrial leafless brownish tuberous herbs; stem erect, sheathed. 

 Flowers in lax racemes. Sepals connate with the petals into a ventricose 

 5-lobed tube slit anteriorly. Lip short, base adnate to the foot of the 

 column and to the perianth, blade entire. Column usually long, narrowly 

 2-winged, foot short or ; rostellum small ; stigma prominent ; anther 

 tumid ; pollinia ecaudate, free. Species 7, Asiatic, Malayan and 

 Australasian. 



1. G-. orobanchoides, Benth. in Gen. Plant, iii. 617 ; lip adnate to 

 the tube of the perianth with a short sessile ovate obtuse free plane blade. 

 Rook.f. Ic. Plant, t. 1852. Gamoplexis Falc. in Boyle III. 364; Lindl. 

 Gen. & Sp. Orchid. 384 ; Gr. orobanchoides, Falc. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xx. 

 293, t. 13. 



TEMPERATE HIMALAYA, alt. 7-8000 ft., from Kashmir to Garwhal, Falconer, 

 &c. 



Hoot a large oblong or ellipsoid annulate tuber, parasitic by a small fibrous base 

 to roots. Stem 10-24 in., usually very stout ; sheaths short, loose, truncate. Raceme 

 loosely many-fld. ; bracts oblong, acute, variable in size ; flowers suberect, pedicels 

 short; ovary turgid ; perianth |~| in. long, ventricose, base gibbous, lobes very short 

 obtuse, sepaline rather longer than the petaline ; lip longer still, sessile, ovate, 

 obtuse* recurved. Capsule f in., erect, turgid. 



2. G. elata, Blume Mus. Bot. ii. 174; Orchid. Archip. Ind. 143, 

 t. 53 ; claw of lip adnate to the perianth and furnished with a pair of large 

 fleshy prominent calli, limb free ovate-oblong. 



CHUMBI ; a Tibetan province east of Sikkim, King's Collector. DISTRIB. China, 

 Japan. 



Habit, inflorescence and flowers of Q. orobanchoides, but differing in the lip, 

 the adnate claw of which has an almost reniforni callus on each side, whereas in the 

 first-named species the position of the claw on the perianth is marked by two 

 thickened lines. The Chumbi specimen is a bad one, but having examined many 

 flowers of it and of the Japan plant, 1 have no reason to doubt their identity. 



