THE ORCHID REVIEW. 264 
Specimens, soifie very fine.” The discovery is very interesting, and 
fortunately the plant is not conspicuous enough to attract the attention of 
mere casual flower gatherers. 
R. A. ROLFE. 
THE GENUS HUNTLEYA. 
AN interesting species of Huntleya has just flowered with Herr G. Beyer, of 
Hamburg, and as it is a member of a small group which has been much 
confused, it may be useful to give a brief outline of the forms at present 
known. The genus is nearly allied to Bollea and Pescatorea, both of which 
have been partially confused with it, and it is very curious that when 
Reichenbach reduced the two latter (with others) to Zygopetalum he should 
have referred the species of Huntleya to Batemannia, which is far more 
different in structure. The species have since been transferred to 
Zygopetalum, but, like Pescatorea, which was reviewed earlier in the present 
volume (pp. 44, 68), it forms a quite distinct and easily recognized little 
group, and, unless Zygopetalum is to be still further enlarged, is much better 
treated as a distinct genus. The differences may not be very great, but 
similar difficulties are met with in other groups, and, in this connection, it 
may be well to recall a remark made by Sir Joseph Hooker respecting the 
reduction of Megaclinium to Bulbophyllum :—‘In Botany, as in other 
biological sciences, if objective characters, though of little morphological 
value, which distinguish whole groups, are not taken into account in the 
formation of genera, of monocotyledons especially, the result would be 
chaotic agglomerations of forms under a common generic name” (Bot. 
Mag., sub t. 7314). 
_ The genus Huntleya was described in 1837, when Lindley remarked as 
follows :—‘‘ There is . . . an unpublished genus, called Huntleya by 
Mr. Bateman, in compliment to the Rev. J. T. Huntley, anardent cultivator 
of Orchidaceous plants, . . . of which the original species was found, 
according to a memorandum I have received from Mr. Bateman, in 
Demerara, by Mr. Schomburgk, and of which another and very fine species 
occurs among Mons. Descourtilz’s Brazilian drawings” (Bot. Reg., 
sub t. 1991). The generic character was drawn from the latter plant, which 
was called Huntleya meleagris, Lindl., but the former has remained a 
mystery down to the present time. Lindley thus briefly described it :— 
“‘ Huntleya sessiliflora (Bateman ined.) ; ‘ floribus sessilibus.’ In Guiana, 
Schomburgk.”” Nothing further seems to be known about it. Reichenbach 
seems to have made inquiries respecting it, for, on March 26th, 1863, 
Bateman wrote to him from Biddulph Grange, Congleton:—‘‘I know 
nothing of Huntleya sessiliflora, indeed I never even heard the name till” 
