Prasephyllum.] CXXVII. ORCHIDE^. 1569 



2. P. flavum (yellow) R. Br. Prod. 318 ; Benth. Fl. Amtr. vi. 337. Stems 

 stout, attaining 2 to 3ft. the whole plant drying very dark. Leaf-sheath rather 

 loose, the lamina rarely lin. long, erect, concave with a very short terete point. 

 Bracts rather broad. Flower of a yellowish green. Ovary elongated. Sepals 

 lanceolate, acute, nearly 4 lines long, the lateral ones connate the greater part of 

 their length ; petals narrower, but nearly as long. Labellum ovate-oblong, 

 sessile, almost gibbous concave and erect at the base, recurved towards the end, 

 ^Droader in the middle ; the inner plate commencing from about the middle, the 

 ■oblique margins joining in the centre and dying away before the end of the lamina. 

 Lateral appendages of the column adnate on one side at the base, short and 

 broad, of a thicker texture than those of most species, 2-dentate or 2-lobed at the 

 end.— Lindl. Gen. and Sp. Orch. 514 ; Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 11, t. 109 A ; 

 Beichb. f. Beitr. 17 ; Fitzg. Austr. Orch. i. Pt. 3. 



Hab.: Between Stanthorpe and the border of N.S.W.. and a few other southern localities. 



3. P. brevilabre (labellum short), Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 11, t. 110 A; 

 ■Benth. Fl. Austr. vi. 338. Allied to P. patem in aspect and in the size of the 

 flowers and in the ovary. Stems mostly under 1ft. high, the leaf-sheath broad 

 and loose, the lamina usually but not always rather short. Ovary obovoid or 

 -oblong, narrower than in P. patens. Dorsal sepal under 4 lines long ; petals 

 rather shorter narrow and acuminate ; lateral sepals longer and broader than the 

 dorsal one, united almost to the end. Labellum sessile, the erect part rather 

 xarrow, the oblong lamina of the length of the erect part, but abruptly reflexed 

 -against it so as to give a very short appearance to the whole labellum ; the 

 margins much undulate ; the inner plate commencing from the base, nearly 

 •as broad as the erect part, and continued very shortly on to the reflexed laminal 

 Lateral appendages of the column adnate to the stigma rather high up, entire, 

 the outer margin without any appendage. — Fitzg. Austr. Orch. ii. Pt. i. 



Hab.: In some southern localities. 



4. P. patens (spreading), J?. Br. Prod. 318 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. vi. 339., 

 ■Stems usually tall hut varying from 1 to 3ft., the length of the^eaf also 

 very variable. Flowers usually larger than in F.fuscum, of a yellowish-green, 

 the labellum bordered with white, but neither the size nor the shade of colour 

 -constant. Ovary obovoid or shortly oblong. Sepals lanceolate, acute or obtuse, 

 scarcely 4 lines long, the lateral ones quite free, the petals of the same length 

 but more obtuse and much more petal-like in consistence. Labellum as long 

 as the petals, sessile but not gibbous at the base, the erect part not very broad, 

 as long as the recurved or reflexed portion, which varies from ovate to oblong, 

 or almost lanceolate, but always shows a considerable breadth of undulate 

 margin, the inner plate not very prominent, much narrower than the labellum 

 .and scarcely extending beyond the bend or rarely reaching nearly to the end. 

 Lateral appendages of the column adnate at the base on one side to the stigma, 

 diearly as long as the rostellum, the outer margin without the glandular 

 prominence, and, rarely with a scarcely prominent tooth. Anther rather shorter 

 than the rostellum. — Lindl. Gen. and Sp. Orch. 513 ; Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 11, 

 t. Ill ; Reichb. f. Beitr. 19. 



Hab.: Southern localities. 



5. P. fuscum (brownish), R. Br. Prod. 318 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. vi. 339. A 

 very variable species nearly allied to some forms of P. patens, usually rather 

 ■smaller with smaller flowers, and the sepals and petals narrow and darker 

 coloured, but the extreme forms of the two species only to be distinguished by 

 the labellum. Spike short or long, dense or interrupted. Ovary obovoid or 

 shortly oblong as in P. patens. Flowers usually drying black or very dark, 

 (rarely pale-coloured. Dorsal sepal lanceolate, concave, acuminate, about 3 lines 



