CATASETUM CHRISTYANUM. 
[PLaTE 83.) 
Native of the Amazon Country. 
Epiphytal. Stems stoutish, fusiform, jointed, six to eight inches long, and clothed 
with whitish membraneous sheaths. Leaves several from the apex of the younger 
_ stems, lanceolate-lorate, acuminate, plaited, the basal part channelled and gale. 
_ the upper part of the stems. Scape radical, bearing an erect six to seven flowere 
-taceme, with distinct sheathing scales below. Flowers remarkable in form, large, 
_ spreading, brown and green, each with a narrow bract at its base; sepals lanceolate- 
acuminate, the dorsal ones erect, the lateral ones spreading horizontally, dark reddish 
or chocolate brown ; petals connivent, parallel with the dorsal sepal, of a lighter 
wn, obscured, spotted with still paler brown at the base; lip short, with a bluntly 
conical saccate pouch, and a three-lobed limb: the front lobe obovate apiculate, bent 
down on both sides, olive-green, ciliate with short brown fringe-like teeth, the lateral 
_ lobes squarish, bright green, with much longer purple fringes, the spur or pouch 
"pale brown outside, darker brown within, and having a square oblong mouth with 
the front margin nearly straight, and the hinder margin with two upright emarginate 
lamell, Column green, with a long’ erect green subulate inflexed beak, and two 
~ deflexed Sete below the anther bed, green, curving outwards like tusks. 
Cataserum CuristyAnum, Reichenbach fil., in Gardeners’ Chronicle, N.8., Xvii., 588. 
es 
The subject of our present illustration belongs to a most peculiar family of 
Orchids, and one which is especially interesting to those who are fond of curiosities. 
“Take Cataseta into your stoves,” observes Professor Reichenbach, “ and you are 
Pretty sure to become more o¥ less bewitched, earlier or later.” No doubt they are 
~ of interest to the botanist, but they are not so useful for purposes of deco- 
tation, nor so attractive as objects of beauty as are many others of their race. 
Possibly > however, some of our readers may admire the peculiar forms and colours 
of this flower, more than. the showy and bright shades we so often meet with among 
_ varied genera of Orchidacee. It has been pointed out that the close 
0 
i secies 1 d in 
f this plant is with Catasetum saccatum, a Demerara species introduce 
ee It is certainly a very remarkable Orchid, and our artist has made . ist 
peal tepresentation of it from a specimen growing in the collection of fie : 
wy Esq., Malvern House, Sydenham, after whom it is named, and tage seh 
vai: many new and rare species, but also takes great interest in their pias 
oh Catasetum Christyanum is a deciduous species, with fusiform stems gro 
about eigh 
: th 
Seng inches in height. It produces its flower-spikes from the en . a 
"ON erect scapes bearing in each spike about half a dozen flowers. 
a 
