300 THE ORCHID REVIEW. (OCTOBER, 1912. 
Occasionally termites add a supply of soil to the. epiphyte garden. In 
Arenga saccharifera and other palms of which the leaf-bases remain on the 
trunk, the termites tunnel out the leaf-bases and replace the destroyed 
tissue with mud, which remains in after the termites have left. Through 
this mud such plants as Davallia solida push their rhizomes and utilize the 
soil brought up. Ants, too, carry this soil further up the trees to form 
their nests beneath the Orchids, &c. 
There are, however, no special modifications to induce the ants to nest 
among and around the roots of the Orchids and other such plants, unless 
the emission of the roots from the base of the stems in Dendrobiums in such 
a form that it is convenient for the ants can be said to be one. But, 
especially from observing young plants, I am of opinion that the nesting of 
the ants among the roots is distinctly advantageous, seedlings not infested 
by ants being weaker and suffering more from dronght. 
THE GENUS POAZPHYLLUM. 
PoO#PHYLLUM pauciflorum, Ridl., is a curious Malayan Orchid that was 
originally described as Agrostophyllum pauciflorum, Hook. f., and after- 
wards transferred to Eria, as E. minutiflora, Ridl. Schlechter has now 
reduced it to the Javan Lectandra parviflora, J. J. Smith, and added two 
new species from New Guinea. But Lectandra was not published until 
several months later than Pozphyllum, and an examination of authentic 
examples of the two species shows that the Javan plant is specifically 
distinct from that of the Malayan Peninsula. Pozphyllum is nearly allied 
to Appendicula, and has a very similar habit, but differs in having eight 
pollen masses. The flowers are small, and are borne in very short auxillary 
racemes. Four species are at present known, as shown in the following 
enumeration :-— 
P. PAUCIFLORUM, Rid!. Mater. Fl. Malay Fenins., p. 109. Agrostophyllum 
pauciflorum, Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind., v. p. 824; Hook. Ic. Pl., t. 2097. 
Eria minutiflora, Ridl. in Journ. Linn. Soc., xxxii. p. 297.—Native of 
Johore, Pahang and Perak, in the Malayan Peninsula. 
P. PARVIFLoRA, Rolfe. Lectandra parviflora, J. J. Sm. in Bull. Dep. 
Agric. Néerl. Ind., xiii. p. 55, with tab. L. pauciflora, Schlechter in Fedde 
Repert. Sp. Nov., Beih. i. p. 363.—Native of Java. 
P. popocHiLoipEs, Rolfe. Eria podochiloides, Schlechter in K. Schum. 
et. Lauterb. Nachtr. Fl. Deutsch. Siid-See, p. 182. Trichotosia podochiloides, 
Kranzl. in Engl. Pflanrenr., iv. Orch.-Dendr. ii. p. 136. Lectandra 
podochiloides, Schlechter in Fedde Repert. Sp. Nov., Beih. p. 364.—Native 
of New Guinea. . 
- TENUIPES, Rolfe. Lectandra tenuipes, Schlecter in Fedde Repert. 
Sp. Nov., Beih- p. 365.— Native-of New Guinea. R. A. RoLFE. 
