CYCN OCHES CHLOROCHILON. 
[PLaTE 263. ] 
Native of Demerara and Caracas. 
Epiphytal. Stems stout, terete, tapering, six inches high or more, deciduous, 
the younger ones leafy, and the older ones marked with the persistent greyish 
sheaths of the fallen leaves. Leaves ligulate-oblong acuminate, tapered to a footstalk, 
and below dilated into a membranaceous sheath, glaucous green, plicate. Scapes 
lateral produced in the axils of the upper leaves, generally about three-flowered, 
Flowers large, fleshy, and of singular form, resupinate, that is with the lip standing 
on the upper instead of the lower side of the flower as it ie on the spike ; 
sepals (dorsal) lanceolate acute, curved forwards and then reflexed, bright yellowish 
green, directed downwards, the lateral ones broader ovate-elliptic acute, two and a 
half inches long, standing near together and erect, also of a yellowish green; petals 
larger, oblong, shortly acuminate, falcate at the base, somewhat spreading but 
directed upwards, three inches long, of the same colour as the sepals; lip oblong- 
obovate, abruptly acute, with a prominent boss in the central part, creamy, almost 
white in front, the basal part yellow with a large blackish green hollow oblon 
blotch, and a projecting transverse obtuse triangular callus. Column green, directe 
downwards, incurved, slender, about an inch and three-fourths in length, dilated at 
the end, with three narrow fleshy teeth over the back of the anther. 
_ CycnocHrs cHtorocuiton, Klotzsch, in Otto und Dietrich Allgemeine Garten- 
zitung, 1838, 225; Lindley, Sertum Orchidacewm, t. 16; Hartinger, P aradisus 
Vindobonensis, t. 2; Williams, Orchid-Grower’s Manual, 6 ed., 230. Reichenbach 
jil., in Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematice, vi., 560. 
The genus of which we here introduce a representation, is one of the most 
curious of the Orchid family in regard to the formation of its flowers, and 
partly from the resemblance of the curved column to a swan’s neck, is commonly 
called the Swan Orchid. The species now figured was introduced to this country 
from Demerara some fifty years ago (1838) by Messrs. Loddiges, of Hackney. There 
are some other attractive species included in the genus, all of which have 
curious flowers, and are well worth cultivating ; though they do not produce showy 
flowers, they are, nevertheless, great favourites with some growers, and were thought | 
much of in days gone by. We used formerly to exhibit fine specimens of 
these plants at the Horticultural Society’s shows at Chiswick, and also at those 
held in the Regent’s Park Botanic Gardens, ‘and they were greatly admired on 
account of the grotesque formation of their conspicuous blossoms. We sincerely 
hope that the publication of the present illustration may have the effect of causing 
this group of orchidaceous plants to be sought after as they formerly were, inste 
