140 Commencement and Progress of Orchid Culture. 



Thirdly, The peculiar condition of the pollen, and the anther which 

 contains it. 



Fourthly, The very general development of one of the inner leaves of 

 the perianth, or petals, in an excessive degree, or in an unusual form. 



Many botanists have devoted special attention to this family ; of whom we 

 may mention Bateman, Bfown, Hooker, and Paxton, in England ; Bron- 

 gniart and Richard, in France ; and Linden, in Belgium : but Dr. Lindley 

 has paid more attention to their nomenclature and arrangement ; and his 

 classification, which we follow, has been generally adopted. 



These peculiarities of the order are in most cases very striking, and are 

 strongly manifested in the same flower. We also find the true nature of 

 each part indicated by special cases of structure occurring in different 

 parts of the order. 



Thus, in Cypripediurn, not only are two lateral stamens furnished with 

 anthers, while the central stamen is antherless, but the stigma and style 

 separate from the filaments nearly to the base ; and the triple nature of the 

 former is distinctly shown, together with the relation of its lobes to the other 

 parts of the flower. 



The pollen, which has so anomalous an appearance in its wax}' or sectile 

 state, presents the usual appearance of that substance in Goodyera and 

 many Neottece ; and the irregularity of the labellum disappears in such 

 genera as Paxtonia, Thelymitra, and some others, whose flowers are almost 

 as regular as those of a Sisyrinchitim. 



In the classification of orchids, the most important characters seem to 

 reside in the pollen, which in many is consolidated into firm, waxy masses, 

 of a definite number in each species, and in others is either in its usual 

 loose, powdery condition, or is collected in granules or small wedges, the 

 number of which is far too great to be counted. Of those with waxy, pollen 

 masses, some {MalaxecB) are destitute of any visible organs or means by 

 which the masses are brought into contact with the stigma ; others {Epiden- 

 drece) have strap-shaped caudiculas, which are either bent down upon the 

 masses themselves, or serve to hold them together, without, however, forming 

 any organized union with the stigma ; while the remainder ( Vandea) have 

 a caudicula which adheres firmly to a gland found in the upper margin of 

 the stigma, and separating freely from that organ. 



