1895.] Gr. King & R. Pantling — New Orchids from Sikkim. 329 



On some New Orchids from Sikkim. — By Gr. King and R. Pantling. 



The publication, in Sir Joseph Hooker's Flora of British India, of 

 his account of the Orchids of the Empire marks an era in the study 

 of this most interesting Natural Family. Prior to the issue of Sir 

 Joseph's account of the group, it was extremely difficult to identify 

 any Indian orchid that did not happen to have had a figure of itself 

 published in some horticultural or botanical work. Now the work 

 of determining the name of a species has been made comparatively 

 easy ; and the facilities which have thus been provided have stimu- 

 lated local research. In the present paper we offer to the Society 

 descriptions of thirty-three new species — twenty belonging to the Tribe 

 Epidendrece, eight to the Tribe Vandese, three to the Neottiese, two to 

 the Ophrydese — which have been discovered in Sikkim within the 

 past few years. 



Epidendreae. 



MICROSTYLIS, Nutt. 



Microsttlis Maximowicziana, n. spec. Rhizome 2 to 4 in. long, with 

 scattered root fibres and bearing a leafy pseudo-bulb 3 or 4 in. 

 long. Leaves 4 or 5, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, acute, tapering to the 

 sheathing base, slightly oblique, 5 to 6 in. long. Raceme about 6 in 

 long with numerous green flowers nearly '2 in. in diam., the stalk of the 

 raceme 4 to 5 in. long. Floral tracts linear-lanceolate, equal to or ex- 

 ceeding the stalked ovary. Sepals oblong, blunt, their margins re- 

 curved, the lateral broader than the dorsal. Petals linear, all reflexed, 

 the lip hood-shaped ; its apex contracted, thickened and slightly 

 crenate, and with two minute teeth above the pit ; the side lobes sub- 

 falcate, blunt. Arms of the column broad, overlapping and hiding 

 the anther, the stigma occupying the whole face of the column. Lip 

 of anther truncate. 



Sikkim : On the Mungpoo Cinchona Plantation, alt. 2,000 to 4,000 

 feet ; flowers in July. 



The species is self-fertile. 



OBERONIA, Lindl. 



Oberonia falcata, n. spec. Stems caulescent, tufted, 3 in. lono-. 

 Leaves falcate, acute 1 to 2 in. long, and "25 in. broad. Racemes almost 

 sessile, erect, 2 to 3 in. long; the flowers yellowish-green, minute, 

 very numerous and sub-verticillate. Floiver-bract ovate, erose, equal 

 to and sheathing the stalked ovary. Sepals broadly ovate, entire, re- 

 flexed. Petals linear-oblong, blunt, entire. Lip twice as long as 



