I HYNCHANTHUS HOOK. F., GEANTHUS REIN W. 



AND GE OST AC II YS RI DL. 

 by 



Th. V aleton. 



( With plates 7— S ). 



RHYNCHANTHUS Hook. f. 

 HOOK. f. in Bot. Magaz. (1880) t. 6861; BAKER in HOOK. F. Fl. 

 Br. Ind. VI (1890) 257. WlTTMAcK in" Garten«. 4S (1800) 38, 367, 417 

 t. 1464.' 



Only two species of this genus have been hitherto described, one 

 R/i. longiflorus HOOK Bot. Mag. t. 686!, being introduced in Kew from 

 Burma the other Rh. Bliithianus WiTTMACK Gartenflora, t. 1468 from a 

 not exactly known region of East-India. A third most interesting species 

 was discovered by LöRZlNG in Deli, Sumatra; indeniably belonging to 

 this genus but much deviating by its radical multiflorous racemes and 

 the possession of a small but not inconspicuous bipartitie labellum and of 

 very short subulate curled staminodes immediately below the anther. By 

 the long exserted cymhiform filament etc, it resembles wholly Rh. Bluthia- 

 pus, which it is like also by the red flowers. The flowers are rather dif- 

 ferent when studied at the beginning of the bloom from those which 

 are gathered at the end of it (see our tig,). In the first there is a bila- 

 melled linear labellum erect between the petals and opposite to the equal- 

 ly long broad cymbiform filament. In the adult flower the part of the 

 tube between the insertion petals and labellum is much prolongated and 

 split open at the front, passing into the filament. It carries along the lo- 

 bes of the labellum, which, crumpling up, seem lo be only filiform 

 appendices of the filament. By this posthumous growth of the coroll 

 tube the flower resembles Gtobba. The membranaceous so called filament 

 is constricted below the anther. 



Rhynchanthus radicaiis VAL. 11. sp. (Tab. 7, fig. 1 — 6). 



Rhizoma subterraneum repens 10-15 mm. crassum squamis membra- 

 naeeis fugacibus. Caulis foliosus ex apice rhizomatis orfus 5- 10 mm. 

 crassus. Squamae basilares nunc très, 75,160 et 300 mm. longae, oblöngö- 

 lineares apice cordato-rotundatae et infra apicem mucrone brevi crasso 



