By Mr. John Lindley. 



67 



ORCHIDEOUS PLANTS. 

 XXIII. Rodriguezia planifolia. 



R. foliis biiu> planis lineari-Janceolatis utrinque attenuatis enerviis, racemis 

 recurvis, bulbis compressis foliis brevioribus. 



Among a collection sent from Rio Janeiro in 1825, by 

 Mr. David Douglas, were several bulbs of this plant. It 

 appears to grow naturally upon decayed bark, forming a 

 cluster of long, two-edged, compressed, slightly furrowed 

 bulbs. From each of these bulbs arise two spreading, linear- 

 lanceolate, nerveless leaves, tapered off at each end, and very 

 little more than twice the length of the bulbs. From the base 

 of the latter arises a recurved raceme of greenish-yellow 

 flowers, a little longer than the bulbs and leaves taken to- 

 gether. These have in every respect so much the structure 

 of Gomeza recurva, figured in the Botanical Magazine, tab. 

 1748, that there can be no doubt of their near relation to that 

 plant ; but I cannot bring myself to believe that they are 

 absolutely the same, although it appears from the 660th figure 

 of the Botanical Cabinet, which is a good representation of 

 this species, that Messrs. Loddiges do not distinguish the 

 two plants. The differences which I perceive between Mr. 

 Douglas's plant and that figured in the Botanical Magazine, 

 necessarily occur to me from a consideration of the drawing in 

 the latter work, the original plant in the Apothecaries' Gar- 

 den at Chelsea not having been seen by me. But the obvious 

 general correctness of that figure induces me to believe, that 

 confidence may reasonably be placed in it as far, at least, as is 

 necessary for my present purpose. In the figure in the Bo- 

 tanical Magazine, I perceive that the bulbs are ovate, and the 

 leaves lanceolate, widening gradually towards the upper 



