328 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



C. ochraceum, but that the females do not belong to C. fuliginosum, LindL, 

 as Reichenbach supposed. 



The identity of the latter still remains somewhat uncertain. Lindley 

 originally remarked of it : — " Judging from the evidence we possess 

 concerning C. tridentatum, cristatum and viride, we should suspect it to be 

 a male form of C. atratum, or some such species. That, however, must 

 remain for future enquiry." Unfortunately, the matter cannot yet be fully 

 cleared up, but we now know that the sex is the reverse of what Lindley 

 supposed, though hk suggestion as to its specific identity may be very near 

 the mark. The female of C. atratum is now known, and proves to have 

 some dingy blackish spotting about it, but that of C. trifidum is also much 

 spotted with brown, as described at page 201 of the present volume. The 

 point may be cleared up hereafter, but it is unfortunate that the oppor- 

 tunity of comparing these plants in a living state so seldom occurs. 



Catasetum quadridens 2 . 

 Since the foregoing was written the female flower of an additional species 

 •of Catasetum has appeared, namely C. quadridens, Rolfe. The species 

 was described in 1901 {Kew Bull., 1901, p. 149) from a plant which 

 flowered in the Kew collection in December, 1898. It was purchased, with 

 •others, at the sale of the Hon. Walter Rothschild's collection ; beyond 

 which its origin is unknown. The unique plant has produced a male 

 inflorescence on two or three occasions, but this year it has varied the 

 proceedings by sending up a female inflorescence of three flowers. The 

 species is allied to C. cornutum, LindL, and the male flowers have green 

 sepals and petals heavily blotched with dark brown, and a light yellow lip 

 much spotted with brown, and fimbriate-dentate at the sides. They are 

 further remarkable in possessing a pair of small teeth on the column in 

 ■addition to the usual pair of antennae. These peculiarities may be seen at 

 ■t. 7864 of a forthcoming part of the Botanical Magazine. The female 

 flower is, of course, utterly different. The lip is superior, of the usual 

 galeate shape, nine lines high, by eight lines broad, with an entire mouth 

 six lines across. The colour is green outside, but dull yellowish green 

 inside, with many dwarf longitudinal ribs, and numerous small dark 

 brown dots, principally on the ribs. The sepals and petals are reflexed, 

 •ovate, and apiculate, the former about four and the latter seven lines long, 

 and light green in colour, with a few small brown dots at the apical 

 margin of the petals. The column is very stout, with a small abortive 

 anther case at the apex. Two of the flowers fell off just before expansion, 

 but the other developed perfectly. It is interesting to add that a plant of 

 Catasetum Naso, LindL, in the collection produced a female inflorescence 

 ■of three flowers a few Weeks earlier. R. A. Rolfe. 



