240 



outer borders ; chelate, the inner claw being truncate and 

 colourless, the outer one pointed, purplish and ciliated; at- 

 tached along sides of column to the base of the anther. 

 Stigma oval with long diameter vertical ; concave with funnel- 

 shaped depression in its lower part ; occupying about upper 

 half of anterior surface of column. Rostellum very sticky 

 reaching to a level slightly above the base of the anther. 

 Ovary pyriform ; green with longitudinal reddish-brown 

 stripes; subtended by a minute bract. 



The ciliated condition of the labellum and lateral appen- 

 dages readily distinguishes this orchid from the two other 

 small prasophyllums, P. nigricans and P. fusco-viride, known 

 to occur in this State. In the neighbouring Eastern States, 

 however, it may possibly be mistaken for P. fimhriatum or 

 P. archeri, both of which (especially the latter) it somewhat 

 closety resembles. The following points of distinction, how- 

 ever, occur : —In P. fimhriatum the labellum is narrow, 

 linear-oblong, densely fringed with long cilia ; the anther 

 point is long (often very long). In P. intricatum the labellum 

 is wide (broadly obovate), rather sparsely fringed with short 

 cilia ; the anther point is absent or very short. In P. archeri 

 the labellum is similar in type to that in fimhriatum, long 

 and narrow, and both the dorsal sepal and the paired petals 

 are fringed with cilia. 



None of the perianth segments are ciliated in the plant 

 under review. 



The extreme friability of the pollen in this orchid and 

 the facility with which it can be caught in the funnel-shaped 

 stigmatic depression which communicates directly with the 

 ovary, indicates that it is capable of self-fertilization. It is 

 probable that this is its normal method of pollination, for 

 most of the plants were fruiting and on these no barren 

 flowers were present. The fact, however, that the whole 

 pollinarium may be removed by a touch on the sticky disc 

 strongly suggests the idea that the more ordinary method of 

 cross-pollination is sometimes followed. 



Pterostylis squamata, Br. 

 Robert Brown first collected this plant in Tasmania. He 

 was familiar with P. rufa, which he also named, and con- 

 sidered the differences between the two forms to be specific 

 in character. Bentham, however, who had not Brown's ad- 

 vantage of dealing with the living plants, subsequently re- 

 duced P. squamata to a variety of P. rufa. Among his three 

 varieties of the latter species is also included P. mitchelli, 

 Lindl. Much uncertainty has prevailed in Australia as to 

 the identity of Lindley's species, but I have recently had the 



