AERIDES. 



The fpecies of this rare oriental genus are not at all dif- 

 tinftly known. Willdenow enumerates feven, to which we 

 have fome additions. 



1. A.retufum. Blunt-leaved Air-bloflbm. Swartz n. I. 

 Willd. n. I. (Epidendfum retufum ; Linn. Sp. PI. 1351. 

 Limodorum retufum ; Swartz Nov. Ad. Upf. v. 6. So. 

 Anfieli Maravara ; Rheede Hort. Malab. v. 12. i. t. I. 

 Rail Hift. V. 3. 588. Orchis abortiva aizoides malabarienfis, 

 flore odoratiflimo variegate, intus aviculam reprsfentante ; 

 Rudb. Elyf. v. 2. 220. f. 5.) — Leaves nearly radical, hnear, 

 with two equal terminal notches. Clufter many-flowered, 

 twice the length of the leaves. Capfules obovate.— Native 

 of trees in the Eaft Indies, flowering at the beginning and 

 end of the rainy feafon, that is, in April and Oftober, and 

 lafting long. The plant is three feet high, attached to the 

 bark by thick inflexed downy-coated fibrous roots, of a 

 mudcy fmell. Leaves fpreading in two ranks, linear, fl:out, 

 rigid, channelled, fmooth, abrupt as if bitten off at the end, 

 which feems charafteriftic of the genus ; in this fpecies the 

 two notches are reprefented in t!ie figure, which is all our 

 authority, as equal and uniform. The Jo'u.-ers are very numer- 

 ous, about forty, in feveral ftalked, terminal clujlers, all ex- 

 panded at once, whitifh befprinkled with red, blueand dufl<y 

 fpots. The lip is faid to be pure white on both fides, with 

 a tongue-like appendage, brilliant with blue and red. Each 



foiuer is lefs than an inch in diameter. 



2. A. prtmorfum. Jagged-leaved Air-bloflbm. Willd. 

 n. 2. (" Bitim Maram Maravara ; Rheede Hort. Malab. 

 V. 12. 5. t. 2." Rail Hift. V. 3. 589. Orchis abortiva 

 aizoides malabarienfis altera, flore odorato fanguineo colore, 

 iutus aviculam purpuream referente; Rudb. Elyf. v. 2. 221. 



f. 6.) Leaves radical, linear, varioufly and unequally 



notched at the end. Cluft;er many-flowered, twice the length 

 of the leaves. Capfules cylindrical — Found on trees in 

 Malabar. Nearly akin to the preceding, thefoiuers being 

 in like manner fpotted with red and blue, and moreover 

 with yellow and green. The column is purple. Rheede 

 fays this fpecies acquires a poifonons property by growing 

 on the Cansjira, a (hrub or tree akin to Daphne; which, if 

 correft, is very remarkable. Perhaps fragments of the bark 

 of that tree, which may well be fuppofed highly virulent, 

 may have been gathered with the roots of the parafitical 

 plant. 



I. A-Alafiopetalum. Woolly-flowered Air-blofTom. Willd. 

 n. 3. (Epidendrum Flos aeris ? Retz. Obf. fafc. 6. 64.) — 

 Stem branched, creeping. Leaves ovate-oblong, each feated 

 on a bulb. Caiyx externally woolly, acute as well as the 

 petals. — Found by Koenig, on trees in the Eaft Indies. 

 There is nothing in KcEnig's defcription of the Jloiuer to 

 convince us of this being an Aerides, while the account of its 

 acute leaves, (not defcribed as jagged or abrupt,) and their 

 bulbous accompaniment, render it probable that Willdenow 

 has here made a miftake. We retain this fpecies and the 

 next, merely as we find them in his work, for future 

 enquiry. 



4. A. ? matutlnum. Morning Air-bloflbm. Willd. n. 4. 

 ( Epidendrum Flos aif'ris, vel Saaronicum ; Retz. Obf. fafc. 6. 

 rg.) — This having a fpur to the neHary, according to Koe- 

 nig's defcription, cannot belong to the genus before us. We 

 therefore decline attempting a fpecific charafter, or any 

 neceflary correAion of Willdenow's. 



5. A. odoratunt. Fragrant Air-bloflbm. Willd. n. 5. 

 Ait. n. I. (A. odorata; Loureir. n. i.) — Stem afcending. 

 Leaves linear, emarginate, reflexed. Clufters axillary. Lip 

 three -cleft ; lateral fegments obtufe. — Found on trees in 



China and Cochinchina, fometimes pendulous. Root of 

 numerous thick fibres, entangled together. Stem nearly 

 eredl, a foot high. Leaves large and thick. Clujlers fimple, 

 long, drooping. Flotucrs pale, rather flefliy, fweet-fcented. 

 If this fpecies be hung up in a houfe, it will continue to 

 grow, and to flower for many fucccflive years ; which Lou- 

 reiro fays he had long experienced. Sir Jofeph Banks is 

 recorded to have introduced this Aerldes into the ftoves at 

 Kew, in 1 800, but it has never flowered. The late duchefs 

 of Portland received an air-plant, as it was called, from 

 China or tlie Eaft Indies, about twenty-five years ago, which 

 we rather believe to have been tlie Epidendrum tejjellatum, 

 Roxb. Corom. v. i. 34. t. 42, Cymliidium n. 34. Willd. 

 Sp. PI. V. 4. 102 ; or at leaft very near that fpecies. It 

 came iu a bafliet, without earth, in perfeft liealth, and after- 

 wards bloflbmed in the ftove at Bulftrode ; whether it 

 received any different treatment there we have no recol- 

 lediion. 



6. A. arachnita. Great Japaiiefe Air-bloflbm. Swartz 

 n. 2. Willd. n. 6. (Epidendrum Flos aeris ; Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 1348. E. n. 7 ; Linn. Aft. Upf. ann. 1740. 37. Limo- 

 dorum Flos aeris ; Swartz Nov. Aft. Upf. v. 6. 80. An- 

 gurek Katong-gfing ; Kaempf. Amaen. Exot. 868. t. 869. 

 f. I.) — Stem afcending. Leaves linear -lanceolate. Calyx- 

 leaves and petals linear, revolute ; dilated at the extremity. 



Lip cloven in front, with an internal cloven appendage 



Native of Japan, growing parafitically on trees, and much 

 admired for the mufl<y fcent of its large handfome flowers. 

 The leaves are faid to be narrow, thick, and rufliy. Flowers 

 from feven to twelve together, in a loofe fimple clujler. 

 Calyx-leaves and petals all nearly fimilar, each two inches 

 long, linear ; convex above ; concave underneath ; fuddcnly 

 dilated at the end into a quadrangular form, all lemon- 

 coloured, beautifully fpotted with purple. Ne&ary much 

 fliorter than the petals, fomewhat ftalked, confifting of a hol- 

 low abrupt lip, fmooth, cloven deeply in front, ending below 

 in a ftiort point, from whofe cavity fprings an ereft, flefliy, 

 divided lobe or appendage. Such is the nedary of the plant 

 figured by Dr. Swartz, of which two fpecimens are pre- 

 ferved in the Linnaean herbarium ; but Kaempfer's figure 

 exhibits a very different appearance of the fame part, like 

 three hairy leaves furrounding the column, in a manner we 

 have never witnefled in any one of the Orchiden. We fufpeft 

 two fpecies may be confounded by authors. 



7. A. coriaceum. Leathery-leaved Air-bloflbm. Swartz 

 n. 4. tab. 2. f. 4, e,f. Willd. n. 7 — " Stem-leaves ovate, 

 pointed, fomewhat coriaceous, ftriated. Spikes panicled." 

 — Found on trees in Madagafcar. The Jloiuer as repre- 

 fented in Dr. Swartz's figure, which is all we know of this 

 plant, is hardly an inch wide ; the lip a deep pouch, bearing 

 in front a fmall deflexed appendage. Column very ftiort. 



8. A. BoraJJi. Fan-palm Air-bloffom. Buchanan MSS. 

 ■ — Leaves radical, linear-oblong, obtufe, obliquely emargi- 

 nate. Clufter leaflefs, radical. Lip with a revolute undivided 

 border. — Found by Dr. Buchanan growing on BoraJfus 



Jlabellifer, in the Myfore. The thick cracked or jointed 

 fibres of the root have each a central tough thread. Stem 

 none. Leaves equitant, about fix, a fpan long and an inch 

 wide ; their points roimded, but unequally, one ilde ex- 

 tending further beyond the notch than the other. Clujler 

 fimple, fcarcely ftalked, twice the length of the foliage, de- 

 flexed, many-flowered, lax, with a few flieathing fcales at 

 the bafe. Flotuers about an inch and a half in diameter. 

 Calyx-leaves ovato-lanceolate, obtufe, fomewhat revolute, 

 near an inch long, pale buff with a purplifli central ftripe. 

 Petals like them, but flat, and rather broader. NeSary half 



