DENDROBIUM WILLIAMSIANUM. 
[PLATE 252. ] 
Native of New Guinea. 
Epiphytal. Stems rod-like terete, erect, about a foot and a half high, as thick 
as a goose quill, the internodes clothed with pale brown striated sheaths. Leaves 
persistent, oblong, blunt, and obliquely emarginate, channelled, two to two and a 
half inches long, shortly amplexicaul, of a palish green. Scapes terminal, slender, 
green above, purplish below, with a few acuminate approximate bracts, bearing at 
the apex a raceme of six or more blossoms, each pedicel having at its base an 
ovate acuminate membraneous bract. Flowers drooping, over two inches across, with 
a remarkable cucullate or scoop-shaped lip, and a short blunt conical basal spur ; 
sepals ligulate oblong obtuse, fleshy, white, slightly mauve tinted, the lower ones 
longer and more acute, rather incurved, the bases of the lateral ones dilated, and 
with the base of the lip forming the blunt spur; petals cuneate obovate, bluntly 
acute, rather more deeply tinged than the sepals with pale mauve; lip with a claw 
and elbow, turned. up against the adnate purple column, the front part with its 
sides folded up so as to form a scoop, and the apical portion recurved, the 
basal part narrowed to the elbow, the limb not closing over the column, outside 
of a pale purple-lilac, channelled below, the inside of an intense blackish purple, 
rather paler at the apex and margin; on the disk towards the front and _ termi- 
nating the ridge corresponding to the channel beneath, are three squarish erect 
lamelle of a still deeper purple than the limb, the front part of which is obtusely 
ovate, the recurved part white with a few cross veins; spur or mentum small, 
conical, extending beyond the elbow of the lip. 
DenpRopium Wriiramstanum, Reichenbach fil., Gardeners’ Chronicle, N.s., ix., 
652; Id., xxvi., 178, fig. 832; 199; Orchid Album, vi., note under t. 241. 
The Dendrobes constitute a large genus of Orchids, to which of late there have 
been added many fine and distinct species. We here illustrate one which we 
introduced several years ago, but of which, having but a few plants, we were only 
fortunate enough to preserve one, which we have flowered for the first time 
during the present year. This plant was exhibited by us at the Royal Horticultural 
Society’s meeting, and we were awarded a First Class Certificate for it on account 
of its distinctness and the beautiful colour of its flowers. Our drawing was taken 
_ from this plant, and is a good representation of it and its flowers. We obtained 
it from New Guinea, through our collector, who also sent dried flowers, which retained 
their colour, and were described by Professor Reichenbach in the Gardeners’ 
Chronicle for 1878. ‘here is no doubt it is a rare species, as we received only 
Seven plants, and of those only one in a living state, and this had a narrow 
escape from being lost through an injury it sustained about three years ago, but 
