ZYGOPETALUM. 61 



A native of southern Brazil^ first discovered by Descourtilz in the 

 early part of the present century in damp woods on the banks of 

 the Eio de Pirapitinga, near Bananal, in the province of Minas 

 Geraes. It was introduced by Messrs. RoUisson, in whose nursery 

 at Tooting it flowered in 1838, but it was very rare in European 

 gardens for many years afterwards, and even at the present time 

 it is not often seen. We are indebted to Baron Schroeder for 

 materials for description. 



The specific name Meleagris is the Greek name of the Guinea- 

 fowl, and was doubtless suggested by the fancied resemblance of 

 the curious spotting of the flower to that of the plumage of the 

 Guinea-fowl. 



Z. rostratum. 



Rhizome stoutisli, sheathed with imbricating, ovate, acute scales. 



Pseudo-bulbs oblong, much compressed, mono-diphyllous. Leaves 



lanceolate, acute, 7 — 10 inches long. Scapes much shorter than the 



leaves, 1 — 2 flowered ; bracts foliaceous, ovate, acute, |-inch long. 



Flowers 3|— 4 inches across vertically; sepals and petals similar, 



linear-lanceolate, acuminate, more or less undulated or twisted, pale 



brown tinged with rose, white at the base, greenish at the apex; 



lip large, cordate, acuminate, recurved at the tip, white with some 



purplish streaks at the base ; crest horse-shoe shaped, obscurely ribbed 



and furrowed, light yellow streaked with purple. Column semi-terete 



with two short sub-rotund wings ; anther beaked. 



Zygopetalum rostratum, Hook, in Bot. Mag. t. 2819 (Zygopetalon), Liudl. in 

 Bot. Reg. 1844, misc. No. 15. Williams' Orch. Alb. II. t. 78. Lindcnia II. 

 t. 68. Zygosepalum rostratum, Rchb. in Walp. Ann. VI. p. 666. 



Very little is recorded of this remarkable orchid since it first 

 became known to science. Sir William Hooker, who first described 

 it, states that it was introduced from Demerara in 1827 by Mr. 

 C. S. Parker, of Liverpool.* Thirteen years later the brothers 

 Schomburgk found it growing on the trunks of trees along the 

 banks of the Demerara and Esscquibo rivors.t After them a German 

 gardener visiting Surinam gathered it near Mariepaston.J And lastly 

 Mr. Everard im Thurm met with it on the banks of the Barabara 

 river in north-west Guiana, ''in the dense shade, clinging close to 

 the undersides of the tree sterns, almost dipping into the water."§ 



* ]}ot. Mag. sub. t. 2819. f Rci.sen, III. p. 912. J Walp. Ann. VI. p. QGQ. 



§ Procredings of Royal P.eog. Soc. XIV. p. 675 (1892), whence we learn its peculiar 

 lialiit which may partly account for th'' indillorent success that has hitherto attended it3 

 cultivation, 



