302 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [OcroBER, 1993. 
THE GENUS CRYPTOPHORANTHUS. 
Tue species of this remarkable genus are popularly known as ‘* Window- — 
bearing Orchids,” on account of the flowers being closed at the apex, with 
a pair of slit-like openings at the sides, and several of them are represented 
in collections where botanical curiosities are appreciated. No less than 
five species are now flowering in the fine collection at Glasnevin, under the 
care of Mr. F. W. Moore, namely, Cryptophoranthus Dayanus, C. 
Lehmanni, C. hypodiscus, C. Moorei, and C. gracilentus, and as some of 
them are also flowering elsewhere a few notes on the genus may be of 
anterest. 
The structure of the flower is certainly remarkable. Sir Willian Hooker, 
when figuring the orginal species in the Botanical Magazine (t. 4164), called 
it the “ Windowed Masdevallia,” remarking :—‘‘ This is one of the very 
curious productions of Nature of which there are such frequent instances 
among Orchideous plants. The plant is not only singular in colour, the 
flowers being externally of a deep blackish blood colour, but still more 
singular in form, with the sepals united below and at the apex, which is 
open and window-like, the whole representing the head and beak of a bird, 
with a perforation where the eyes should be.” Reichenbach also remarked 
of the one he called Masdevallia Dayana :—“ I always think of certain birds 7 
—partridges—when seeing the flower.” 
The fertilisation of this remarkable genus, and the economy of the 
peculiar structure of the flowers, remains a mystery. Darwin investigated 
it minutely, and remarked on it as follows:—‘‘ The three sepals always 
‘cohere together, and never open, two minute lateral oval windows seated 
high up the flower and opposite to each other, affording the only entrance 
into it. The presence of these two minute windows shows how necessaty 
it is that insects should have access in this case as with all Orchids. How 
insects perform the act of fertilisation I have failed to understand. At the 
bottom of the roomy and deep chamber formed by the sepals the minute 
column is placed, in front of which the furrowed labellum stands, with @ 
flexible hinge, and on each side of the two upper petals, a little tube being — 
thus formed. Hence when a minute insect enters, or a larger one inserts 
its proboscis through either window, it has by touch to find the inner tube 
in order to reach the curious nectary at its base. After cutting away the 
sepals I vainly endeavoured, by pushing a bristle into the tubular flower, t© 
remove the pollinia. The whole structure of the flower seemed carefully 
-antended to prevent the withdrawal of the pollinia, as well as their sub- 
sequent introduction into the stigmatic chamber. 
i Some new and curious 
‘contrivance has here to be made out.” 
- : : 
he genus Cryptophoranthus was established by Barbosa Rodriguez, 
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