MOOREA. 125 



MOOREA. 



Kolfe in Gard. Chron. VIII. s. 3 (1890), p. 7. 



This is a new genus founded by Mr. Rolfe, of the Kew Herbarium^ 

 on a species acquired by Mr. F. W. Moore at a sale of orchids, and 

 which upon flowering in the Glasnevin Botanic Garden was found to 

 conform to no known genus. It is of too much interest to be 

 passed over unnoticed^ and we have therefore transcribed the 

 published description of the author. Followiug Mr. Eolfe we have 

 placed Moorea next to Houlletia^ from which it differs "in the lip 

 being without a claw and articulated with the base or foot of the 

 column^ and by its epichile not being articulate with the hypochile." 



The new genus worthily commemorates the name of Mr. F. W. 

 Moore, Curator of the Royal Botanic Garden at Glasnevin, near 

 Dublin, in recognition of " his large series of very valuable contri- 

 butions to the Kew Herbarium, extending over a long period,^^ and 

 we may on our part add — his constant and untiring kindness in 

 supplying us with specimens of rare and little known orchids for 

 description in this work. 



Moorea irrorata. 



" Pseudo-bull)S ovoid-oljlong, 2 J inches long, diphyllous. Leaves 

 petiolate, plicate, lanceolate, shortly acuminate, IJ to 2 feet long, 

 4 J inches broad. Scapes basal, stout, erect, 1| feet high ; raceme 

 thirteen-flowered with about six sheathing striate bracts below ; the 

 flowering bracts ovate-elliptic, acute, pale green, f — 1 inch long. 

 Flowers 2 inches in diameter ; sepals and petals spreading, sub-equal, 

 elliptic-oblong, acute, reddish brown with nearly white base, the lateral 

 sepals carinate, the petals a little narrower. Lip articulated to the 

 short foot of the column, straw-yellow with radiating dark purple lines, 

 deeply three-lobed, the side lobes broadly rounded ; the front lobe 

 narrowly linear, acute ; crest basal with a pair of free spreading arms 

 formin" a crescent, bright yellow with numerous dark spots. Column 

 somewhat elongate, sub-clavate, cream-white ; wings obsolete." — Rolfe 

 in Gard. Chron. VIII. s. 3 (1890), p. 7. 



Moorea irrorata, Rolfe in Gard. Cliron. loc. cit. ; and XI. s. 3 (1892), p. 489, with 

 figs. Bot. Mag. t. 7262. 



Nothing has been divulged respecting the origin of this orchid. 

 '' It was probably imported by Messrs. Shuttleworth and Co. from 

 the Andes of New Granada or Peru, these gentlemen having sent 



