LELIA ANCEPS. 
[PuatE 75. | 
Native of Mexico. 
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs narrowly ovate-oblong, compressed and two-edged, with 
prominent angles on the flattened sides, thus tetragonal, four to six inches long, 
clothed while young with large membranous scales. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, bluntish, 
two, or more rarely one, from each pseudobulb, five to eight inches long, leathery 
in texture, dark green. Scape terminal on the pedndsbetee erect, often two feet 
long, terminating in a spike of three to five flowers, jointed, clothed with carinate 
bracts, and two-edged or ancipital, whence the name. Flowers very large and 
attractive ; sepals lanceolate, acuminate, about three inches long, spreading, of a 
charming delicate pinkish-rose; petals ovate-acuminate, of the same colour as the 
sepals; lip three-lobed, the lateral lobes inflected over the column, purplish-rose, 
paler on the lower side, yellow, and striped with purple inside, the reflexed front 
edge deep magenta-purple; middle lobe oblong-acute, recurved, rich deep velvety 
magenta-purple, white towards the base, the disk within the base yellow, traversed 
longitudinally by an elevated thickened ridge, which terminates in front in three 
crests. Column semi-cylindrical, wingless. 
Lazu ancers, Lindley, Botanical Register, t. 1751; Hooker, Botanical Magazine, 
; ee Paxton, Magazine of Botany, iv., 73; Williams, Orchid Grower's Manual, 
ed., 202. | 
_ Brerta anceps, Reichenbach fil., in Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematice, 
vi, 418. 
In the subject of our present plate we have one of the oldest inhabitants of — 
our Orchid houses. It was introduced as far back as the year 1833, and is one of 
the most beautiful of the numerous Mexican Orchidew. As a winter-flowering Orchid 
it stands unrivalled, coming as it does into flower in mid-winter, and retaining its 
beauty for a long period. It should be grown in quantity by every one on this 
account, for a more useful decorative plant it would be difficult to discover. 
There are several varieties of this handsome species, which are very distinct from 
the type. N otably there is Lelia anceps Dawsoni, a white form, which was figured 
in this work at Plate 44. Then there are L. anceps alba, L. anceps Hulu, L. 
anceps Barkerii, and L. anceps rosea, a pretty rose-coloured form, differing con- 
siderably from the type. Our plate was prepared from a plant in the collection of 
D. ~B. Crawshay, Esq., Rosefield, Sevenoaks, who was kind’ enough to allow our 
artist to make a sketch of the plant. 
Lelia anceps is a dwarf-growing evergreen species, having 
from four to six inches in length, furnished with oblong-lanceolate leaves, which are 
oblong-ovate bulbs, 
