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aphylla is completely leafless. There are thigmotropic roots 

 on the tree trunks, aerial roots with a silvery coating of velamen, 

 for water absorption, and pseudobulbs at the base of the leaves 

 occur in every size and shape. 



Among the great multitude of species, two seem to be of 

 special interest. One of these is the giant orchid Grammato- 

 phyllum speciosum, probably the largest known species of orchid, 

 of which the largest known individual is one of the several 

 planted in the Buitenzorg garden. Like most of the others, it is 

 epiphytic. It grows completely around the trunk of a canary 

 tree, about sixteen inches in diameter, at a height of about 



Fig. 20. Portion of the orchid collection, Buitenzorg, Java. 



fifteen feet from the ground. The dense mass of fibrous roots is 

 over a yard in diameter, and two to four feet high. The numer- 

 ous leafy shoots begin their growth in an erect direction, become 

 declined and finally pendent from their own weight, and ulti- 

 mately almost reach the ground. Their spreading or slightly 

 ascending ends, however, indicate that they are naturally neg- 

 atively geotropic. The rapidly growing young shoots, up to six 

 feet in length, are leafy throughout. The old leaves soon die, 

 leaving the basal portion of the stem covered with appressed 

 scales, while only the terminal two or three feet is leafy. These 



