296 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



PAPHIOPEDILUM CHARLESWORTHII AND P. 

 SPICERIANUM. 

 Do these two species grow anywhere intermixed ? The question was 

 discussed last year in connection with the reputed natural hybrid known 

 as Cypripedium Fred. Hardy (Orch. Rev., ix, pp. 369-37 1 . fi g- 52)- The 

 conclusion arrived at was that we have as yet no evidence that the two 

 grow intermixed. But the following has an important bearing upon the 

 question. Some time ago some imported P. Charlesworthii were purchased 

 at a Sale at Messrs. Protheroe and Morris's Rooms for the Kew collection, 

 and in potting up, some of the larger clumps were divided, making some 

 dozen and a half plants altogether. The majority are now in flower, but 

 singularly enough two of them prove to be P. Spicerianum. Without 

 knowing the history of the importation one could not say positively that 

 the plants actually grew intermixed, but at all events the facts are signi- 

 ficant in connection with what has been recorded before. It would be 

 interesting to hear of any other evidence bearing on the question. 



R. A. Rolfe. 



LISTROSTACHYS BRACTEOSA. 



A curious and interesting Mauritian Orchid has just flowered in the Kew 

 collection. It was sent from the Mauritius Botanic Garden, in 1897, by 

 the late Mr. W. Scott, and is apparently identical with Angraecum 

 bracteosum (Balf. f. & S. Moore in Journ. of Bot., 1876, p. 293) a species 

 collected in Bourbon by Dr. I. B. Balfour during the Transit of Venus 

 Expedition in 1874, and hitherto known only from dried specimens. It 

 has also been described under the name of Saccolabium squamatum (Frapp 

 in Covdemoy Fl. Reunion, p. 195). An examination of the pollinia, however, 

 shows that the plant belongs to neither of these genera, but to Listrostachys, 

 there being a single broad gland, to which the pollinia are separately 

 attached by a pair of short stipes. The pollinia are broad, and nearly 

 triangular, and, apart from their attachment the whole pollinarium strongly 

 recalls Cymbidium. The stem is very short, and bears six oblong arching 

 leaves, six to nine inches long, with unequally lobed apex, and a short 

 axillary raceme of three very fleshy flowers. The ovary is short, very stout 

 (being half as broad as long), and enclosed within a large cucullate roundish 

 oblong bract ; and the segments are very pale yellowish green. The sepals 

 are broadly ovate, acute, keeled, and nine lines long ; the petals rather 

 smaller ; and the lip consists of a short broad sac, with a short expanded 

 limb, and an acute somewhat recurved apex. It was no doubt the latter 

 character that caused it to be referred to Saccolabium, for it looks very 

 different from most other members of the Angraecum group. — R. A. Rolfe. 



