220 ORCHIDACEM. [ ZEUXINE. 



Whole plant 2-10 in. high. Stem and peduncle glabrous. Leaves 1-2 

 in. long, linear, acuminate, sessile on the hyaline truncate sheaths, 

 gradually passing into linear bracts higher up. Raceme, -2 in. long, 

 densely-fld., glabrous ; fl. bract in. long, ovate -lanceolate, acuminate,, 

 much longer than the ovary. Flowers about in. long, white or 

 pink. Sepals unequal, the dorsal one ovate, concave, lateral pair 

 obliquely lanceolate, connivent. Petals falcately oblong, obtuse, 

 forming with the dorsal sepal a hood over the column. Lip yellow, 

 as long as the sepals, cymbiform and saccate at the base ; terminal 

 lobe short, subquadrate, entire or bifid. Column very short, with 

 two wings at its apex covering the anther ; rostellum with two short 

 stout parallel arms. Anther depressed, very shortly beaked. 

 Pollinia attached within the tip of a linear appendage of the gland. 

 Capsule ellipsoid, about J in. long. 



Common within the area in open turfy and usually moist ground. 

 Flowers during February and March. DISTRIB. : Abundant in 

 grassy places throughout the greater portion of India, ascending 

 to about 5,000 ft. on the outer Himalayan ranges ; found also in 

 Afghanistan, Ceylon, China, Japan, Java and the Philippines. 



25. HABENABIA, Willd. ; Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 131. 



Terrestrial leafy herbs with undivided or lobed tubers or fleshy 

 root-fibres. Leaves flat, with sheathing bases. Flowers small or 

 large, in racemes or spikes. Sepals subequal, the lateral pair 

 spreading reflexed or deflexed, or sometimes erect. Petals smaller 

 or larger than the sepals, entire or 2-cleft, often connivent with the 

 dorsal sepal to form a hood over the column. Lip adnate to base 

 of column, entire, 3-lobed 'or 3 partite, its base spurred. Column 

 short, usually broad ; stigmas 2, distant or conjoined across the 

 face. Anther-cells adnate to the front of the column, discrete,, 

 rarely touching, parallel or divergent below, their bases often 

 prolonged into tubes containing the candicles ; staminodes rugulose, 

 one on the outer side of each anther-cell, rarely filiform ; pollinia 

 2, clavate or pyriform, usually grooved, sometimes 2-partite ; 

 caudicles long, short or obsolete ; glands exposed, flat and discoid 

 or elliptic and globular, or elongate with truncate ends. Species 

 about 500, widely distributed in temp, subtrpp. and trop. regions of 

 the world. 



Petals 2-partite, segments filiform ; lateral 

 sepals deflexed, tips filiform ; flowers 

 greenish . . . . . 1. H. graveolens* 



