-TRICHOCENl^RUM. 



167 



pendulous, 18 — 24 inches long, dull crimson, racemose, rarely paniculate 

 along the distal half, 10 — 15 flowered. Flowers nearly 2 inches across 

 vertically ; dorsal sepal oblong, whitish, apiculate, sometimes spotted with 

 purple, keeled behind; the lateral two connate into a boat-shaped body 

 at the base of which depends the slender spur nearly two inches long ; 

 petals similar and equal to the dorsal sepal ; lip broadly clawed with 

 two small triangular auricles at the base from which two slender spurs 

 extend into the sepaline spur to about half its length ; the blade sub- 

 orbicular, deeply emarginate, the auricles and claw white dotted with 

 rose-purple, the blade light rose reticulated with purple. Column white. 

 Cnmparettia Macroplectron, Rchb. in Gard. Chron. X. (1878), p. 524. Id. XI. 



(1879), p. 398 ; XVIII. (1882), p. 616 ; and XXIV. (1885), p. 365, icon. xyl. 



Wmiams' Orch. Alb. II. t. 65. The Garden, XXX. (1883), t. 385. 



The largest-flowered species yet introduced but less brilliant in 

 colour than the others ; it is also distinguished from them by its 

 much larger spur. It was originally discovered by Senor Triana, 

 a Colombian botanist, and introduced by Messrs. Low and Co. in 



1878. 



0. speciosa. 



Stems very short, sub-cylindric, sheathed with pale membraneous, 

 acute scales. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute, 4 — 6 inches long. Scapes 

 two— three times as long as the leaves, terminating in a lax 7 — 10 

 flowered raceme; bracts small, subulate, acute. Flowers \\ inch across 

 vertically, bright orange-scarlet; dorsal sepal and petals ovate, acuminate; 

 the lateral sepals connate into a boat-like body, very acute at the apex; 

 lip shortly clawed with two basal auricles and a sub-quadrate, emarginate 

 blade ; sepaline spur slender, longer than the stalked ovaries, obscurely 

 pubescent. Column short with two small green wings ; anther white 

 and beaked. 



Comparettia speciosa, Rchb. in Gard. Chron. X. (1878), p. 524. Williams' Orch. 

 Alb. V. t. 233. 



Discovered on the eastern Cordillera of Ecuador in 1877 by Edward 

 Klaboch, by whom it was introduced into European gardens. It is 

 chiefly distinguishable from Gomparettia falcata by its larger flowers 

 of a different colour, and especially by its elongated spur. 



TRICHOCENTRUM. 



Poppig et Endl. Nov. Gen. et Sp. II. p. 11, t. 115 (1835). Beuth. ct Hook. Gen. Plant. III. 

 p. 559. 



Trichocentrum is botanically distinguished from Comparettia chiefly 



by the following characters : — 



The floral spur is simple, that is to say, it is produced from the 



