126 



caudicle and no connection whatever between rostellum and 

 pollinia. 



The widely-winged column forms a kind of sac, which may 

 be completely closed by the labellum. In sunny weather the 

 labellum of the mature flower is conspicuously extruded, but 

 under colder conditions, or when shaken or touched, it under- 

 goes a complete revolution, so as to cause its rough convex 

 surface to fit in between the wings of the column, the bifid 

 apex being in close proximity with the base of the latter, while 

 the broader base of the lamina, with its blunt projecting point,, 

 lies over the rostellum. The cavity of the column is in this 

 way completely occluded. The movement is due to a curling 

 inwards of the strap-like claw. 



This species is readily distinguished from Galeana major 

 by its exceedingly narrow leaf, smaller flowers, and tubercu- 

 lated labellum. In major the surface of the labellum is 

 smooth. 



Pterostylis cycnocephala, Fitz. 



Description. — Plant green, robust, 1 in. to 3 in. high. 

 Leaves in a crowded basal rosette, seven to nine in number, 

 petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, 5-nerved. Stem usually short and 

 stout, with a bract subtending each flower-stalk, and generally 

 one or two leafy bracts near the base. Flowers small, green,, 

 in a raceme of two to six flowers, on fairly long pedicels, mostly 

 crowded. Galea, incurved, blunt, broad, and short (about 

 four lines). Lateral sepals shorter than galea, reflexed, con- 

 nate almost to the tip, together forming a cup-like depression, 

 ovate, tips not prolonged into tails. Lahellum on short broad 

 claw, rhamboid, with broadly rounded tip, latter slightly 

 emarginate ; with a relatively large, conspicuous, dark-green^ 

 pyramidal appendage, the apex of which looks towards the 

 tip of the labellum ; highly irritable. Column slightly in- 

 curved, not reaching quite to top of galea; upper angle of 

 membranous wings not toothed, their anterior margins ciliate. 

 Anther usually oblique, sometimes almost horizontal, hinged, 

 2-celled, each cell with two loculi; pollen-masses four, some- 

 what granular, no caudicle. Rostellum triangular, its tip in- 

 serted between the two cells of the anther ; sticky on anterior 

 surface ; its margins gradually incurving towards each other 

 Just below the tip until they meet so as to form a split tube, 

 which passes down the anterior surface of the column, pene- 

 trates the substance of the stigma, and becomes continuous 

 with the stigmatic canal. Stigma occupies about the middle 

 third of the anterior surface of column, ovate-lanceolate with 

 point upwards; bi-lobed, the lobes separated by a longitudinal 

 mesial sulcus over the stigmatic canal ; sticky but not 

 markedly so. 



