By Mr. John Lindley. 



61 



Inner limb consisting of one segment only, the labellum, which 

 is roundish, complicate, emarginate at the apex, and slightly 

 crisp at the edge ; at its base crimson, of which colour are 

 also two erect teeth, which adhere to the upper segment of 

 the upper limb at the orifice of the tube, and which repre- 

 sent the two absent divisions of the inner limb. Filament 

 opposite the labellum, elongated a little beyond the insertion 

 of the anthera in the form of a short round lobe. Anther 

 erect, oblong, entire, with its two longitudinal lateral lobes 

 approximated at the extremities, but curved outwards on 

 each side, so as to form a passage for the style. Style filiform, 

 smooth, longer than the filament, in a furrow of which it is 

 retained, having, at its base, two short fleshy glands. Stigma 

 fleshy, hollow, three-cornered, with a few cilise on its lower 

 margin. In all the flowers I had an opportunity of examining, 

 the ovarium was constantly of a spongy texture, with a single 

 cell lying out of its axis, and containing one perfect ovulum 

 obliquely inserted into the bottom of the cell. As I had occa- 

 sion to dissect the ovaria of several flowers at different times, 

 I conceive that this must be considered to be the natural 

 structure of the species, although it is entirely at variance 

 with the usual character of both the genus and the order. 

 For this reason I have called it Hellenia abnormis. The 

 flowers of this plant are the smallest with which I am ac- 

 quainted in Scitaminese. 



A hardy stove, or perhaps green-house plant, easily culti- 

 vated in a light sandy soil, and propagated by division of the 

 root, like other Scitamineee ; it likes moisture, and grows best 

 in strong heat. 



