BULBOPHYLLUM. 79 
20. BULBOPHYLLUM PENICILLIUM, Par. and Reichb. fil in Trans. Linn, Soc. ХХХ, 151. 
Rhizome stout, wiry, °2 in. thick; pseudo-bulbs close together ог *5 in. apart, 
broadly ovoid, °75 to 1 in. long, and about “б to :7 in. in diam. at the base. Leaf 
455 to 6:5 in. long, oblong-lanceolate, acute, narrowed at the base into a channelled 
petiole 15 to 2 in, long. Scape longer. than the leaf; the peduncle with 3 or 
4 sheathing lanceolate bracts; the raceme longer than the peduncle, inclined or decurved, 
and with a stouter rachis, б -flowered; floral bract. large, ovate, acute, as long as 
the shortly stalked ovary. Flowers “5 in. across, opening $ or 4 at a time, brown. 
Sepals sub-equal, narrowly lanceolate, with broad concave 5-nerved bases and caudate- 
acuminate apices, about ‘4 in. long. Petals much smaller than the sepals, orbicular, 
fleshy, the anterior half with the margins and apex softly bearded. Zip slightly 
longer than the sepals, very mobile, lanceolate with a truncate auricled base, broadly 
fimbriate-fringed except at the base. Column stout, with two elongate minutely 
capitate erect teeth at the apex, and a protuberance under the stigma; its foot short 
and much curved. Anther conical with a fimbriate crest; pollinia oo Hook fil. 
Fl, Br. Ind. V, 764. 
Bhutan; at Song-chong-loo, elevation 6,000 feet; Pantling No. 251; flowering in 
August and September. 
The colour of the sepals and petals is of a uniform brown, the lip being of a paler 
tint; the rachis is also dark brown. The lower part of the raceme is occupied by 
empty bracts. Except in the colour of the flowers, this Bhutan plant agrees exactly 
with the type specimens of В. Penicillium which were соПесісі in Burma. We have по 
doubt whatever, after careful comparison of specimens of both at Kew, that the Bhutan 
and Burma plants are conspecific. Although not strictly speaking a native of Sikkim, 
this was found so near the frontier, and is such a remarkable plant, that we have 
included it in this work. The lip is so extremely mobile that it responds to the 
faintest movement of the air. The nature of the motion, which is spasmodic rather 
than oscillatory, is described in the following note by Mr. Pantling: ‘Ihave recently 
carefully observed the behaviour of the lip of this species, and I find that the lip does 
not oscillate, but has a jerky movement. In its normal position it is pressed to the 
face of the column as shown in figure 1. The only other. position which I have 
ever seen it occupy is that of extreme depression, as depicted in fig. 4; there is no 
intermediate position whatever. The movement from the опе position to the other 
is sudden and spasmodic; and so extremely delicate is the balance that, even when 
the air appears to be quite still, a lip here and there may be observed suddenly 
to drop, and as suddenly to resume its normal position." i 
Prats 108.— Bulbophyllum Penicillium, Par, and Reichb. fil. A plant; of natural size, Fig, 1 a 
flower, 2 the petals, 3 lip, from the base, 4 bract, ovary, column with its foot, and the lip, 5 column, 
to show the processes at its apex and the protuberance in its front, and also the short much-curved 
foot, 6 anther, 7 under-surface of the pollinia; а enlarged. 
21. BuLBOPHYLLUM ODORATISSIMUM, Lindl. in Wall. Cat. 1987. 
Rhizome woody, thin, branching, naked, *1 in. thick; pseudo-bulbs sub-cylindric, slightly 
thickened in the lower half, smooth, “75 to 1 in. long. Leaf  oblong-lanceolate, 
slightly notehed at the apex, and somewhat narrowed а{ the sessile base; 1 to 
