1896.] D. Prain — New genus of Orckidacese. 107 



Nat. Okd. ORCHIDACEyE. 

 Tribe Neottie^; ; Subtribe Limodoreae. 



Pantlingia Prain, gen. nov. Sepala subaequalia, libera, linearia vel 

 lineari-oblonga. Petala linearia patentia vel reflexa. Labellum in basi 

 colunmae sessile, transverse ellipticum, parum concavum, margine 

 integro incurvum, facie superiore lineis 2 parallelis callosis prope basin 

 orientibus, versus medium tamen obsolescentibus notatum. Golumna 

 parum iucurva, apud antheram utrinque auriculata, ceterum exalata; 

 facie auteriore medio lamina breve transversa horizontali, margine 

 subtruncata vel parum emarginata, basiqne processu linguaeformi 

 carnosa quam columnam ipsam dimidio breviore suberecta transverse 

 et inaequaliter 2-loba ornata. Pollinia paribus 2 basi cum rostello 

 angusto ligulato confluentia. 



Species singula, sikkimensis. 



Paxtlingu paradoxa Prain. Rhizome short, about half as thick 

 as a goose quill, pubescent. Stems 1-2, from 3-4 in. long, pubescent 

 near base, otherwise glabrous, bearing about the middle a single ovate 

 acute leaf "25 in. long. Flowers 2-3, racemose, "15 in., or with the 

 ovaries "4- - 6 in. long ; bracts ovate-acute about as loug as the slender 

 pedicels. Lateral sepals linear lying under and adpressed to the lip, 

 dorsal longer than lateral linear-oblong slightly shorter than and 

 adpressed to the column. Petals linear reflexed or spreading. Lip 

 sessile on the base of the column, transversely elliptic, entire, slightly 

 concave, the margins somewhat incurved ; the upper surface with 2 

 elongated pai-allel calli beginning near the base and becoming obsolete 

 about the middle. Column slightly bent forwards, with a rounded 

 auricle on each side of the anther, otherwise wingless ; its anterior 

 surface bearing about the middle a short toansverse horizontal sub- 

 truncate emarginate plate and, at its base just above the .insertion of 

 the lip, a sub-erecfc rigid transversely and unequally 2-lobed fleshy 

 tongue-like process half as long as itself. Anther with a vertical suture ; 

 pollinia in two pairs, confluent by their bases with the narrow strap- 

 shaped rostellum. 



Sikkim Himalaya : at Choongtong, elev. 6,000 feet. 



The pollen masses are attached by their bases to the strap-shaped 

 rostellum which is not detachable from, the top of the stigma. They 

 appear to fertilize the latter by the gradual absorption and disap- 

 pearance of the rostellum. The nearest alliance of the genus is with 

 Limodorum some of the species of which have small processes on the 

 column in the situation of those that are so highly developed in this 

 singular plant : the lip in Limodorum is however altogether different. 



