28 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



CORYANTHES BALFOURIANA. 



THIS extremely interesting Orchid is a 

 native of Peru, where it was discovered 

 by Mr. Forget when collecting for 

 Messrs. Sander. 

 The reproduced 

 photographs have 

 been kindly sent 

 by Sir John 

 Edwards - Moss, 

 Bart., Roby Hall, 

 Torquay, in 

 whose collection 

 a plant recently 

 flowered. At St. 

 Albans, Messrs. 

 Sander flowered a 

 similar plant 

 which they were 

 unable to identify 

 or match with any 

 known Peruvian 

 species. They, 

 therefore, p r o - 

 visionally named 

 it C. Balfouriana, 

 in compliment to 

 Professor Balfour, 

 Regius Keeper of 

 the Royal Botanic 

 Garden, E d i n - 

 burgh. 



Of Coryanthes, 

 Sir Joseph Pax- 

 ton wrote in 1838, 

 " and such was 

 the extraordinary 

 form the flowers 

 presented, that 

 wonder and sur- 

 prise were created 



in all who were r, 1 r 



r , Coruantnes Balfouriana, 



favoured with an 



opportunity o f Edwards-Moss 

 seeing them." Considering the rareness of 

 the flowers a short description will not be 

 unwelcome. 



In habit the plant much resembles the better 

 known Stanhopea genus. The long pendulous 



scape bears two or three very curiously 

 shaped flowers. The generic name is taken 

 from korys, a helmet, and anthos, a flower, in 



allusion to the hel- 

 met-like appen- 

 dage to the lip of 

 the flower. The 

 sepals, after open- 

 ing, soon collapse 

 and assume the 

 attitude of bat's 

 wings at rest. The 

 wonderful lip is 

 a s fleshy and 

 solid in its texture 

 as the sepals and 

 petals are delicate. 

 The lower part is 

 converted into a 

 large bucket, 

 above which two 

 horn-like appen- 

 dages (marked A 

 in the right-hand 

 flower of the large 

 photograph) s e- 

 crete so much 

 nectar that drops 

 may be seen con- 

 tinually falling 

 into it. When the 

 bucket is nearly 

 full the fluid over- 

 flows by the spout 

 (B). This spout 

 IS closely over- 

 arched by the end 

 of the column, 

 which bears the 

 stigma and pollen- 

 masses in such a 

 flowering in (he collection of j^^g^^ion, that an 

 , BarL, Hoby Hall, Torquay. -^^^^^^ forcing its 

 way out of the bucket through this passage 

 would first rub its back against the stigma, or 

 female part, and afterwards against the viscid 

 discs of the pollinia, or male part, and thus 

 remove them. 



