40 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. ii. 



ci^m SGsquipeclale. Plants of each of these I succeeded in 

 bringing safely to Mauritius, and subsequently to Englarid. 

 The two latter are, I believe, new to this country, and the ses- 

 quipedale very distinct in its habit of growth, having its broad, 

 bluish-green leaves of thin fine texture inserted very closely 

 together in the stalk, and slightly and gracefully curved to- 

 wards the tip, and its large waxy, creamy -yellow flowers, four 

 or five on a stalk, bending in a line nearly as horizontal as the 

 leaves, and differing in this respect equally from the habit of 

 the Angrcecum caudatum, and Angrcecum ehurneum or A. 

 superbum. But the greatest peculiarity of this flower is its long 

 fleshy spur or tail, one of which depending from a flower I 

 measured, and found to be fourteen inches in length, thus 

 nearly approaching the foot and a half to which it owes its 

 name. 



I often saw the Angrcecum sesquipedale afterwards, but 

 never met with it in the higher and cooler regions of the 

 country, only in the lower and hottest districts; and there 

 it was by no means so abundant as the Angrcecum superhum, 

 which is a splendid Orchid. The Angrcecum sesquipedale 

 does not grow in the moist and thickly-wooded parts of the 

 lower districts of the island, but generally on the straggling 

 trees along the edges of the forest, or in parts where the trees 

 are only thinly spread over the country. It seemed to grow most 

 frequently on the driest parts of the trunks and branches of 

 thinly-leaved trees, and was but seldom seen near the ground. 

 The largest plants were found about twelve or twenty feet 

 from the ground, and smaller ones higher up. It appeared 

 to grow most frequently where there was plenty of light and 

 air. The leaves were neither numerous nor large; and in 

 its native state the plant presented a starved appearance and 

 straggling habit. In this state the flowers were abundant, and 

 deeper in colour than when growing in the shade. The roots 

 are not matted and succulent like those of A. superhum, but 



