THUNIA BENSONIA. 
[PLaTE 67. ] 
Native of India—Rangoon. 
Terrestrial. Stems deciduous, terete, one and a half to two feet high, swelling 
into tuberous knobs at the base, the lower part clothed with suborbicular green 
reflexed leafy sheaths, which, as they advance upwards, gradually pass into the 
leaves. Leaves sheathing, membranous, subdistichous, linear-lanceolate acuminate, 
glaucous beneath, six to eight or ten inches long. ers large and very showy, 
terminal, growing in short nodding racemes of ten to fifteen together, each emergin 
from a pale green sheathing bract, which encloses it while in bud; sepals and pet 
linear-lanceolate, partially spreading, two to three inches long, of a light magenta- 
purple striately distributed, and paler towards the centre; lip about three imehes 
long, three-lobed, the lateral lobes short, obtuse, rolled round the column, toothed ; 
middle lobe broadly oblong, flabellate, closely undulated and lobulate, of a very rich 
deep magenta-purple, the base produced into a short notched spur, the disk of a 
rich bronzy orange, bearing several ciliated keels. Column furnished with toothed 
wings at its apex. 
Tuunta Bensonra, Hooker fil., Botanical Magazine, t. 5694; Williams, Orchid 
Grower's Manual, 5 ed., 298. . 
Puatus Bensonr#, Hemsley, in Gardeners’ Chronicle, N.8., xviil., 565. 
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This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and free-flowering of the Thunias. 
The colour of its gorgeous flowers is very uncommon in the Orchid family, and 18 
very charming. It is a plant that should find a place in every collection, especially 
when seen in such a form as that represented in our drawing, taken from — sant 
to which we alluded when referring to the Orchids in bloom in the collection of 
W. Leach, Esq., Oakleigh, Fallowfield, Manchester—a collection very ably managed 
by Mr. Swan. The Orchid houses at Oakleigh are well arranged, Som a 
different temperatures required by plants coming from different localities are readily 
obtainable, and the plants being grown near the glass they have plenty of light. 
This is a great. advantage to Orchids generally, as by this means the growths get 
better ripened, and this enables the plants to flower more freely, and to produce 
flowers of a richer colour. ; 
| Thunia Bensonie is a deciduous plant, losing its stems and foliage after it has 
finished its growth. It attains to a height of from eighteen inches to two beet 
or sometimes more when the growths are strong. We have seen blooming ge 
eighteen inches in height. The flowers proceed from the top of the new ‘sige at 
the time they are making their growth, and they continue blooming tor some 
