CXXVII. ORCHIDE^. 1581 



40. ERIOCHILUS, E. Br. 



(Erion, wool ; cheilos, lip.) 



Dorsal sepal erect, slightly incurved and concave ; petals nearly as long 

 usually narrower, erect or spreading ; lateral sepals longer, spreading, oblong or 

 elliptical, contracted into a distinct narrow stipes. Labellum much shorter, with 

 a narro\^ concave erect claw, the margins often produced into small erect lateral 

 lobes, the lamina or middle lobe recurved, very convex, entire, the surface villous, 

 without calli. Column erect, the front angles sometimes ciliate or very narrowly 

 winged. Anther erect, not mueronate, 2-celled, the outer valves large, folded 

 over and concealing the small inner valves ; pollen at length powdery or granular 

 but much less so than in Caladenia and usually seen in 4 distinct and almost 

 smooth masses in each cell, contracted at one end into points or short caudicles. 

 — Terrestrial glandular-pubescent or hairy rarely glabrous herbs, with small 

 underground tubers. Leaf solitary at the base of or higher up the stem, ovate or 

 lanceolate. Flowers pink or white, 1 or more nearly sessile on a scape or 

 peduncle, without empty bracts above the leaf, each flower subtended by a short 

 loosely sheathing ovate bract. 



The genus is limited to Australia. 



1. E. autnmnalis (autumnal), R. Br. Prod. 323 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. vi. 372. 

 A slender plant, rarely exceeding 6in., more or less glandular-pubescent. Leaf 

 radical, ovate, acute, usually dying away before the time of flowering, but 

 occasionally still persisting at the base of some flowering specimens. Flowers 

 pink, solitary or 2 or 8 rather distant, the subtending bracts loosely sheathing, 

 1 to 2 lines long, and no empty ones on the scape lower down. Dorsal sepal 

 erect, slightly incurved, narrow-lanceolate, acute, scarcely contracted at the base, 

 3 to 3| lines long ; lateral sepals half as long again, very acute, elliptical -lanceo- 

 late, contracted into a distinct often slender stipes ; petals rather shorter than the 

 dorsal sepal, linear or linear-spathulate. Labellum about half as long as the 

 lateral sepals, with an erect concave narrow claw, sometimes showing at the apex 

 minute lateral lobes or angles, the lamina or middle-lobe recurved, oval-oblong, 

 convex and hairy but without prominent calli. Column shorter than the dorsal 

 sepal, narrowly-winged below the very broad concave stigma. — Lindl. Gen. and 

 Sp. Orch. 427 ; Endl. Iconogr. t. 6 ; Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 26, t. 120 A ; 

 Epipactis ciicuUata, Labill. PI. Nov. Holl. ii. 61, t. 211, f. 2 ; Eriochilus cucullatus, 

 Keichb, f. Beitr. 27 ; Fitzg. Austr. Orch. ii., Pt. 2. 



Hab.: Brisbane Eiver, Moreton Bay, W. Hill; and other southern localities. 



The Queensland plants have usually smaller flowers than the same species in the southern 

 colonies. 



41. CYRTOSTYLIS, K. Br. 



(Referring to the curved column.) 



Dorsal sepal linear or linear-lanceolate, erect and incurved, concave ; lateral 

 sepals and petals very narrow, spreading, nearly equal in length to the dorsal 

 sepal, or the petals shorter. Labellum with a short claw, flat, undivided, entire, 

 with 2 calli at the base produced into raised lines along the lamina. Column 

 elongated incurved, winged upwards. Anther terminal erect, 2-celled ; pollen- 

 masses granular distinctly cohering in 4 masses.— Terrestrial glabrous herbs. 

 Leaf solitary at the base of the stem, lamina broad and spreading. Scape 

 without any empty bracts usually bearing a raceme of several flowers. 



Besides the Australian species there are others in New Zealand. 



