LESSER KNOWN OECH1DS. 



385 



floriferous ; the flowers are numerous, very minute, and bright glistening 

 purple. When held towards the light they seem to sparkle all over. 



Three very minute and very rare species of Plcurothallis are Plcuro- 

 thallis hypnicola, P. Simmleriana, and P. lateritia. P. hypnicola is one 

 of Lindley's species, from Brazil, and is nearly the smallest of all orchids. 

 It grows in dense tufts, the leaves from J inch to ^ inch in length, the 

 flowers pale yellow, with tiny purple lip. They are so inconspicuous that 

 they can hardly be seen. 



P. lateritia Reichb. f. from Costa Rica, is a very interesting little 

 species with orange-red flowers. Mr. Rolfe considers that, from descrip- 

 tions, it cannot be separated from Lindley's P. tribuloides. As cultivated 

 plants they seem distinct. 



P. Simmleriana is also a very minute species from Costa Rica, even 

 smaller than the last named. It is very slender and delicate in all its 

 parts, but singularly graceful and elegant. 



Maxillaria funerea, Masdevallia nidifica, and Megaclinium minutum 

 are another trio of dwarfs representing other genera. 



Maxillaria funerea, named by Lindley from Brazilian material, is 

 remarkable inasmuch as the small dull brown flowers do not rise above 

 the leaves, and stand upright like small open cups. Rolfe described it in 

 the " Orchid Review " for 1903, p. 232. 



Megaclinium minutum is figured in " Bot. Mag." t. 7314. It comes 

 from Sierra Leone, and is described as " the smallest species known." It 

 shows the characteristic flattened rachis, which is dull purple, and 

 curiously undulated on the margins. 



Masdevallia nidifica is one of Mr. Lehmann's discoveries in Ecuador. 

 It is remarkable only for its insignificance, but it is uncommon. 



Every collector occasionally has a slice of luck, and the acquisition of 

 Arachnanihe annamensis (fig. 56) was such a slice. The genus Arachnanthe 

 is not a large one, but nearly all the species are curious and interesting, 

 as well as beautiful. It may safely be said that Arachnanthe annamensis 

 is not the least remarkable. When looking through the importations of 

 orchids sent to Messrs. F. Sander & Sons from Annam I selected one 

 from a number of distichous-leaved plants. I got it in June 1904 and it 

 flowered in June 1905, and it has flowered each year since. The plant is 

 not very vigorous in growth ; the leaves are narrow and rather short, but 

 the inflorescence is stout and erect, well elevated above the head of the 

 plant, and the flowers are large and showy. The segments are narrow, 

 the two lateral sepals and the two lateral petals are bent in a falcate 

 manner, giving a rather weird appearance to the inflorescence of eight to 

 ten flowers. Each individual flower is over 5 inches, by 3 to 3 \ broad, 

 and, as the ground colour is red, with transverse bars of yellow, the effect 

 is bright and attractive. 



It is a well-known fact that many orchids can only be grown in a 

 pendulous position. They absolutely refuse to grow, or even live, in any 

 other position. The first introduced plants of the rare Masdevallia deorsa 

 were lost through not understanding this peculiarity. Brassavola nodosa, 

 Cattleya citrina, Scutecaria Steelii, Lycaste Dyeriana, and Epidendrum 

 vesicatum are other cases in point, and there are other uncommon species 

 with similar idiosyncrasies. Lycaste Dyeriana is a remarkable instance of 



