- 86 — 



sists of the short fleshy conical rachis, varying in length from 15— 30 mm. 

 nude at the backside, bearing, if a young plant be considered its first flower 

 immediately underneath the top, and the rachis terminated by 1 or 2 sterile, 

 rudimentary bracts, the following flowers (10 or 12) developing from top 

 to base, biseriate on the foreside of the rachis. Each flower is enveloped 

 by two bracteoles, the interior convolute, both closely appressed. 



In the most essential points the inflorescence of G. pulcherrimum and 

 G. panduratum are identical, only differing in relative points. In G. pul- 

 cherrimum the foliate stem is elongate, the spike with its elongate rachis 

 sessile, for the part exposed to the light and the bracts green. In G. pan- 

 duratum the foliate stem is abbreviate (10—25 mm.) the rachis abbreviate 

 also but elevated by a very long peduncle, enclosed in very large bracts 

 and almost hidden from the light; the bracts here are very light green. 



Comparing to these G. plicatum Ridl. we find again the same essential 

 proprieties. Here the peduncle is elongate, enclosed by the leafsheaths as 

 in G. panduratum but the inflorescence elongate and wholly exserted as 

 in G. pulcherrimum. The leafblades to the bracts as described by Ridley 

 are wanting in our specimen (Burkill 1009). 



The infl. of G. grandifolium is quite similar to that of G. panduratum 

 only the axis is a litle longer and the flowers more numerous, but there 

 is no peduncle and the central stem bears only one or two leaves. So the 

 spike enclosed in the leafsheath is seemingly axillar, really terminal. The 

 infl. of G. apiculatum, is likewise terminal sessile and unilateral, but the 

 stem is erect and bears 8 leaves inserted on short (3-5 mm) distances, 

 but it is quite enclosed by the long alternating and imbricating leafsheaths. 

 To this group evidently belong G. pulchellum Ridl., G. vittatum (N. E. 

 Brown) Val., G. cochinchinense (Gagn.) Val.; further all those species 

 enumerated under "acranthi" by Ridley and under Gastrochilus by Gagnepain, 

 and probably several ones ranged under "mesanthi" by Ridley. It does however 

 not coincide with the "mesanthi" of Ridley, some of which have a very different 

 structure of the inflorescence and belong to the secund section I accept. 



Of this the type is found in G. Scap/zoc/2/a.'72>'s Ridl., described by Baker 

 as a proper genus: Scaphochlamys (name probably from the boatshaped 

 bracts?) and placed near Eleitaria. 



Here the inflorescence is a composed spike consisting of a slender 

 (erect? or procumbent) rachis rising directly from the creeping rhizome and 

 acompanied by 1-3 leaves ("central in a tuft of leaves", Ridley), shortly 

 peduncled and composed of + 6 nodes (Baker) (flexuous?), 125-200 mm 

 long, bearing large Ungulate, persistent bracts involute in the lower half, 

 erecto-patent and enveloping several flowers. 



With, this description (which I gather from the adumbrations of Baker 

 and Ridley) perfectly i agrees a not yet described species collected by 



