JOURNAL 



OP THE 



ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL, 



Vol. LXXIII. Part II, — NATURAL SCIENCE. 



No. S.— 1904. 



Noviciae Indicaa XXTII. Four Orchids new to the Indian Flora. — By 



D. Peain. 



In this paper are given descriptions, after the style adopted in Sir 

 J. D. Hooker's Flora of British India, of four species of orchids discover- 

 ed to be Indian since Sir Joseph's masterly account of the Orchidacese 

 was written. Two of them are novel forms of well-known Indian 

 genera ; the other two are members of a very interesting genus which 

 extends from Japan to Java, but which was not till quite recently 

 known to occur in any intervening area. One of the two, which appears to 

 be not uncommon in the Eastern Himalaya and the Khasia Hills, is 

 identical with the Japanese plant. The other, which externally resem- 

 bles a formerly known Java species and which comes from the Malay 

 Peninsula, in floral structure really more closely agrees with its Japanese 

 than with its Javanese congener. 



Tribe I. Malaxidej:. 

 2. MICROSTYLIS Nutt. 



26. MiCROSTYLTS Cardoni Prain ; Beng. PI. ii., 1004 ; leaves 2, sessile, 

 opposite, ovate ; bracts spreading, shorter than the ovary ; sepals 

 ovate, the posterior slightly narrower than the lateral ; petals narrow 

 J. II. 2 



