1568 CXXVII. ORCHIDEiE. [Fva&ephjUum^ 



concave at the base, recurved towards the end, the disk with an adnate plate- 

 sometimes broad with free margins, sometimes reduced to a central longitudinal 

 thickening. Column very short, not winged, but with two, lateral erect 

 appendages, usually adnate on one side to the stigma. Anther 2-celled, erect 

 behind the rostellum, which is often produced beyond it, but sometimes shorter 

 than the anther. Pollen-masses granular, attached to a linear eaudicle.— 

 Terrestrial glabrous herbs with globular or ovoid underground tubers. Leaf 

 solitary, usually with a long sheath, the lamina terete and sometimes long„ 

 shortly opened near the stem, or the whole leaf reduced to a small sheath with, 

 a short erect point. Flowers variously coloured, often pale or greenish yellow, 

 several or numerous in a terminal spike; usually abruptly bent above the ovary so- 

 as to appear very spreading or reflexed. 



Besides the Australian species there are others ia New Zealand, one of them apparently- 

 identical with an Australian one. The habit of the genus and many of its characters are those 

 of Microtis, from which it differs in the reversed flowers, the more developed lateral appendages 

 to the column (sometimes described as staminodia), and by the elongated oaudiole of th&- 

 pollen-masses which in Microtis is very small or obsolete. 



Sect. I. XSuprasopliylluin. — Lahellum sessile at the base of the column. 



Flowers mostly above 3 lines long. Ovary elongated, narrow. Tall plants. 

 Lateral sepals connate at least in the middle 

 Lahellum ^yith a broad gibbous thickish base, the inner plate broad, 



prominent, scarcely reaching beyond the bind. Leaf-lamina long . . 1. P. australe. 

 Lahellum with a rather narrow but obtuse base, the inner plate broad, but 



commencing only about the middle. Leaf-lamina very short and erect . 2. P. fiavum. 

 Flowers mostly above 3 lines long, Ovftry obovoid or oblong. 

 Lateral sepals connate, at least in the middle. 



Labellum abruptly bent down in the middle 3. P. hrevilabre^ 



Lateral sepals free or very shortly connate at tbe base. 



Labellum obtuse at the base or slightly contracted but not gibbous. 

 Labellum with the recurved end ovate or oblong, undulate, much 



broader than the thickened inner plate 4. P. patens. 



Labellum with recurved end linear-lanceolate, not much broader than 



the thick inner plate 5. P.fuscum. 



Sect. II. Oenoplesium. — Lahellum obtuse or contracted into a claw at the base,, 



articulate on a horizontal claw-like basal, projection of the column, and usually movable- 

 Stem slender, the leaf almost or quite reduced to a sheathing bract. Flowers very small. 

 Labellum neither fringed nor ciliate. 

 ■ Lateral sepals broad, very gibbous at the base. Labellum broad. Bostellum 



as long as the anther 6. P. nigricans.. 



Lateral sepals narrow, scarcely gibbous. Labellum narrow. Column 

 shorter th^n the anther. Bostellum very short. Flower dark coloured, 

 about 1 line long 7. P. rufum. 



1. P. australe (Southern), R. Br. Prod. 318 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. vi. 337,. 

 Stems often 2 to 3ft. high, the leaf -sheath occupying about half its length or 

 even more, the lamina much shorter than the spike. Flowers striped with brown- 

 or yellowish-green in a spike of 3 to 6in. or rather more. Ovary dongated. 

 Sepals and petals all acutely acuminate, about 4 lines long, the dorsal sepal broad, 

 and concave,, the lateral sepals united in the middle, sometimes free at the baseb- 

 and the points always free. Labellum sessile, with a broad gibbous somewhat 

 fleshy erect base, abruptly recurved and reflexed in the middle of its length, the 

 margins of the recurved part undulate, the inner plate very prominent, entire or 

 minutely crenulate, scarcely reaching beyond the bend. Anther obtuse, shorter 

 than tbe rostellum. Lateral appendages of the column adnate to the stigma at 

 the base, lanceolate-falcate, obtuse, rather longer than the rostellum, dilated and 

 sometimes thickened on the outer margin.— Eeichb. F. Beitr. 17 ; P. hitescens 

 Lindl. Gen. and Sp. Orch. 514 ; Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 10, t. 110 B ■ Fitzg' 

 Austr. Orch.ii. Pt. J. 



Hab.: Met with in a few wet south 



