THUNIA MARSHALLIANA 



[Plate 130.] 



Jfative of Mouhneiii. 



Terrestrial. Stems rccd-like, erect, glabrous, cylindricnl, about two and a half fer^t 

 high, becoming smaller upwards, sw^elling into roundish tuberous knobs beneath the S(»il, 

 f:l()thed above with distichous leaves, and terminating in a dense raceme of llowors. 

 Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, semi-amplectaut, about six inclios loiif^, fiv(^ (<» 



seven nerved, of a pale green colour, glaucous beneath. Racemes terminal, iiodtlinLr. 

 diMise, and many-flow^ercd, the bracts large ovate-lanceolate, acute, concave, slmrtcr 

 than the ovaries, pale yellowish, green. Flowers large and delicately beautiful, whiti- 

 with orange-red veins ; sepals and petals lanceolate-oblong acute, spreading, ncaily 

 equal, about two and a half inches long, pure w^hite ; lip white, with the lower part 

 convolute around the column, produced behind into a retuse falcate spur and liavlim 

 in the centre five veins or ribs, fringed at the edge; the front part or limh 

 flattened out, roundish, yellow with numerous forking veins of a deep ornnge-ri'd 

 colour, occupying the wdiole area, the disk traversed by five yellow raised veins, nnd 

 about five shorter ones on each side, all pectiuately fringed with n-3'stalline hairs, 

 the margin toothed and beautifully crisped,^ the extreme edge being white. Column 

 enclosed by the lateral lobes of the lip (which are yellowish striated with red near 

 the front) terete below, widened above, with two prominent toothed wings near the 

 tip forming a kind of hood. 



1098. 



Thunia Marshalliaxa, Reichenhach Jil, Limcea xli., 65 ; Refjel, Garti'nJIom, t. 



The Thimias form a small genus of very beautiful Orchids, which have th( 

 further recommendation of being easy of cultivation. They are deciduous in habit, 

 '^^ing their stems and leaves after they have bloomed and completed their <^'<>^^'ih. 

 That which we now figure, T. MarshaUiana, is a most distinct and sliowy specie.-, 

 our sketch of which was taken from a well grown plant belonging to W. r\»].b 



Silverrln1« Lodge, Sydenham, who has a weU selected and finely grown collection of 



Orchids. Tliis plant was indeed a marvel of cultivation, and did great credit to ^\ 



Catt, the gardener. 



Thmia MarshaUiana, like its congeners is a free-growing plant, furnished with 

 tall rood-Hke stems. These stems are of annual duration only, and grow from two 

 ^^ three feet in height, perishing as soon as the flowering and growth is compldled ; 

 tbey are thickly clothed with distichous leaves, which are of a pale glaucous gn-^n colour, 

 ^^"'1 three inches or more in length. The flowers are produced in large terminal spikes, 



