JlUK', 1913.] 
■1III<: OKCIIII) WOKI.I). 
197 
purplish-red in the centre, gold at the edge. 
The three outer perianth lobes lanceolate 
pointed. The plant came from Winterthur. 
In this country, further remarked Mr. Baker, 
there appears to be a series of intermediate 
forms connecting the typical form with O. 
Trollii, some bemg more nearly allied to the 
former, some to the latter. The plant from 
Reigate, which has been called Trollii, closely 
approximates to a figure in Reichenbach's 
Icones, Vol. XIV., t. 457, Fig. II., but it is not 
very like the plant of Ilegetschweiler. The 
plant, on the other hand, figured by Mr. White 
in the Bristol Flora, more closely approxi- 
mates to the true Trollii. There is an 
interesting note in the Phytologist, n.s. Vol. 
v., p. 175, on some additions to an interleaved 
copy of Blackstone's Harefield Plants, 
formerly belonging to Peter Collinson, stating 
that three roots of the Wasp Orchis were 
found at Clifton in 1787, the lip being very 
narrow, yellow streaked with dark purple. 
There are also plants from Oxford and Lewes 
which are intermediate between the Reigate 
plant and that from Bristol. 
CATASETUM DARWINIANUM. 
A RECENT issue of the Kcw Bulletin 
contains a plate of Catasetum 
Darwinianum, bearing male and 
female flowers on the same inflorescence. 
The plant flowered last autumn in the Kew 
collection, with a second plant which bore 
only male flowers. Both specimens are 
divisions of a single plant which in 1888 
produced both sexes on separate inflorescences, 
one of about 16 male flowers on one side of 
the pseudo-bulb, and one of three females on 
the other side. In the present case the plate 
shows a spike on which the three upper 
flowers are males, the next female, and the 
lower one in a transition state, the lip being 
most like the female in shape, but the sepals 
and petals most like the males, while the 
pollinia are almost normally developed. 
In connection with these particulars, Mr. 
R. A. Rolfe gives in the same publication 
some interesting details regarding the con- 
fusion which arose from a misunderstanding 
of these various forms when little was known 
concerning the genus. The plants bearing 
female flowers were originally referred by 
Lindley to a distinct genus which he called 
Monachanthus, while the males were referred 
by him to Myanthus. 
Subsequently, in 1862, Darwin showed that 
Catasetum tridentatum produced three 
different kinds of flowers, which represented 
male, female and hermaphrodite states of 
the same species. At a later period, Mr. 
R. A. Rolfe was enabled to clear the matter 
up in a paper entitled " On the Sexual Forms 
of Catasetum, with special reference to the 
researches of Darwin and others." And an 
examination of all the materials available led 
to the establishment of four distinct sections 
of the genus, as follows : — 
EUCATASETUM. — Lip superior in both 
sexes, generally more or less galeate in the 
male, always so (as far as known) in the 
female. Rostellum in the male prolonged 
below into a pair of slender cirrhi, called the 
antennas. 
Myanthus. — Lip inferior in the male, not 
galeate, more or less expanded, sometimes 
fringed ; superior and galeate in the female. 
Rostellum in the male prolonged below into 
a pair of slender cirrhi. 
EciRRHOS.E. — Lip inferior in the male, as 
in Myanthus, but more or less saccate. Ros- 
tellum not prolonged into cirrhi. Female 
unknown. 
Pseudocatasetuw. — Lip deeply saccate 
in the male, superior or inferior. Rostellum 
not prolonged into cirrhi. Female, where 
known, much larger than the male, with 
galeate hp. 
Catasetum. Darwinianum was named in 
compliment to the great naturahst, but was 
not one of those investigated by him. Mr. 
Rolfe further remarks that the females of 
some 20 species are now known, respecting 
perhaps a third of the genus, so that there 
is plenty of scope for those who may be able 
to observe the plants in their native wilds, or 
who cultivate them at home. 
