Ohap. VIII. 



FLOWERS OF ORCHIDS. 



239 



as in Calanthe, Orchis mono, &c., to the bifurcation of 

 its extremity. 



The number, position, and course of all the spiral 

 vessels exhibited in the diagram (fig. 36) were observed 

 in some Vandese and Epidendrese.* In the Malaxeae 



* It may be advisable to give a 

 few details on the flowers which 

 I dissected ; but I looked to special 

 points, such as the course of the 

 vessels in the labellum, in many- 

 cases not worth here giving. In 

 the Vandese I traced all the ves- 

 sels in Catasetum tridentatum and 

 saccatum; the great group of 

 vessels going to the rostellum 

 separate (as likewise in Mormodes) 

 from the posterior ovarian group, 

 beneath the bifurcation supplying 

 the upper sepal and fertile anther ; 

 the anterior ovarian group runs 

 a little way along the labellum 

 before it bifurcates and sends a 

 group (a,) up the front of the 

 column; the vessels proceeding 

 from the postero-lateral group run 

 up the back of the column, on 

 each side of those running to the 

 fertile anther, and do not go to 

 the edges of the olinandrmn. In 

 Aeropera luteola the base of the 

 column, where the labellum is 

 attached, is much produced, and 

 the vessels of the whole anterior 

 ovarian group are similarly pro- 

 duced; those (ffij) going up the 

 front of the column are abruptly 

 reflected back ; the vessels at the 

 point of reflexion are curiously 

 hardened, flattened, and produced 

 into odd crests and points. In 

 an Oncidium I traced the vessels 

 Sr to the viscid gland of the poUi- 

 nium. Among the Bpidendrese I 

 traced all the vessels in a Cattleya ; 

 and all in Evelyna carhata except 

 flj, which I did not search for. In 

 the MalaxesB I traced sHiaLiparis 

 pendula except a^, which I do not 

 believe is present. In Malaxis 

 pdltidosa I traced nearly all the 



vessels. In Cypripedium harhafum 

 and pupnraium I traced all except 

 O3, which I am nearly sure does 

 not exist. In the Neottese I traced 

 in Cephalanthera grandijlora all 

 the vessels, excepting that to the 

 aborted rostellum and those to 

 the two auricles a^ and a^, which 

 were certainly absent. In Epi- 

 pactis I traced all excepting o„ a^, 

 and dj, which are certainly absent. 

 In SpirantheB autvmnalis the 

 vessel S, runs to the bottom of 

 the fork of the rostellum : there 

 are no vessels to the membranes 

 of the olinandrum in this Orchid 

 nor in Ooodyera. In none of the 

 OphresB do the vessels a^, a^, and 

 ttj Occur. In Orchis pyramidalis 

 I traced all the others, including 

 two to the two separate stigmas : 

 in this species the contrast between 

 the vessels of the labellum and 

 of the other sepals and petals is 

 striking, as in the latter the ves- 

 sels ■ do not branch, whilst the 

 labellum has three vessels the 

 lateral ones running of course into 

 the antero-lateral ovarian group. 

 In Gymnadenia conopsea I traced 

 all the vessels ; but I am not sure 

 whether the vessels supplying the 

 sides of the upper sepal do not,- as 

 in the allied Habenaria, wander 

 from their proper course and enter 

 the postero-lateral ovarian group : 

 the vessel S,> going to the rostel- 

 lum, enters the little folded crest 

 of membrane, which projects be- 

 tween the bases of the anther-cells. 

 Lastly, in Sahenaria chlorantha I 

 traced all the vessels, excepting 

 as in the other Ophrese the three 

 of the inner staminal whorl, and I 

 looked carefully for a^ : the vessel 



