THE ORCHIDS OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY. 37 



flowers few, ^ inch in diameter, bracts lanceolate, not abruptly pointed, 

 longer than the ovary, flowers green, sepals and petals ciliate with 

 gland-tipped hairs, sepals lanceolate acute, the two lateral conniving at 

 base into a short, blunt but distinctly forward pointing spur, lip half the 

 length of the petals, fiddle-shaped, lateral lobes almost obsolete, midlobe 

 broadly ovate rounded, margin crenulated, disk with almost obsolete 

 ridges which coalesce in a single line towards the apex, pollinia 8, pear- 

 shaped, unequal. 

 Distribution. — Throughout the Ghats and Konkan. Flowers in July. 

 These two species have been treated as varieties of one in the Flora of British 

 India. They are, however, quite distinct. The venation of the pseudobulbs 

 differs in both. The lip of Eria DalzeUii is ovate lanceolate with two thickened 

 ridges near the base, while that of E. microchilos is fiddle-shaped and the almost 

 obsolete ridges extend to the middle of the lip where they join to form a single 

 line towards the apex. The coloration of the lip of E. microchilos is yellow on 

 the lower half and white on the upper ; that of E. DalzeUii is green suffused 

 with yellow on the basal half and white on the upper ; the column in the 

 former is nearly white, in the latter it is green. 

 Section IV. — Hymeneria. 



6. Eria mysorensis, Lindl. Fl. Br. Ind., V., 793. 

 Pseudobulbs cylindric when young, slender, with equitant scales, sud- 

 denly passing into the 5 membranous leaves, older pseudobulbs thicker, 

 fusiform, 3 inches long, with a strongly wrinkled skin. Leaves lanceo- 

 late, from 4 to 8 inches long by f inch broad, main parallel nerves very 

 distinct. Racemes generally two on each pseudobulb springing from 

 the axils of the two lowest leaves. Floioers about 12, \ inch in dia- 

 meter, bracts lanceolate acute, equalling the pedicels and ovary, sepals 

 white, lanceolate acute, distinctly nerved, the two lateral just conniving 

 at base, petals similar to but a little shorter than the sepals, Up shortly 

 clawed, almost fiddle-shaped, lateral lobes narrow rounded purple, mid- 

 lobe shortly apiculate, yellow, disk with two slightly raised ridges 

 which meet at the apex. Anther imperfectly 8-celled, pollinia 8, pear- 

 shaped, equal. 



Distribution. — Throughout the Western Ghats. Flowers in July. It is a 

 common orchid at Mahableshwar. 



(To be continued.) 



