ORCHIDS OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY. 599 



linear acuminate, greenish brown, about one inch long, lip f inch 

 long, o-lobed, side lobes yellow, oblong rounded, embracing the 

 column, midlobe ^ inch long, ovate oblong, subobtuse, or mucronate, 

 crenulate, pink, with a central linear white callus, ovary pink, 

 column green, curved club shaped, anther shallow, pollinia 4, coher- 

 ing in pairs. 



Flowers appear at the beginning of the rains in June to be followed by 

 the leaves in July. 



Dr. Cooke says that the flowers are numerous in each raceme of this 

 species. I have never found more than a solitary flower, although I have 

 cultivated many plants for years. As regards the description in every other 

 respect, this agrees exactly with that given by Sir J. D. Hooker and 

 T. Cooke, so that I am probably correct in looking upon it simply as a 

 western form of P. carinata. 



Distribution. — Bengal and Western Peninsula, common in pastures on 

 the Ghats. 



Note.— I have an incomplete description of yet a third species from the 

 Belgaum Ghats. Although I had the plant in cultivation for some years I 

 either missed seeing the flowers or they may have never appeared. The 

 following is all the information I have on it at present : — 



Leaf orbicular cordate, sinus open, blade up to 5 inches in diameter, 

 green, clothed with very short, stiff white hairs above, quite smooth and 

 grey punctate beneath, veins about 18 in number, raised and slightly chan- 

 nelled on the lower surface, impressed on the upper. Leaves appear towards 

 the end of June. 



26. Spiranthes. 



Terrestrial herb, with tuberous fibrous roots. Leaves clustered 

 near the base of the stem, shortly sheathing. Flowers small, on a 

 twisted, erect, secund, glandular pubescent spike, petals more or 

 less connate with the dorsal sepal into a hood, lip 3-lobed, not 

 spurred, column short, cylindrical, anther erect, 2-celled, pollinia 4, 

 united in pairs, sessile on a small gland,. 



1. Spiranthes australis, Lindl. ; Fl., Br. Ind., VI, p. 102; 

 T. Cooke, Fl. of Bombay, II, p. 707 ; Bah. and Gibs., p. 270. 



Whole plant 6 to 18 inches high. Leaves 4 to 5, 1 to 5 inches 

 long, very variable, linear or linear-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, 

 sometimes oblanceolate, shortly sheathing. Spikes slender, 3 to 6 

 inches long, bracts ovate acute, exceeding the sessile ovary, flowers 

 to *° o }ncn }° n g> white, sepals ovate oblong acute, petals slightly 



