97 
SACCO LABIUM CALCEOLARE. 
(slipper-shaped saccolabium.) 
class. order. 
GYNANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 
ORCHID ACEiE. 
Generic Character. — Perianihium smooth, spreading. Sepals and petals equal, lateral ones sometimes 
larger. Labellum undivided, spurred, growing to the hase of the column. Column erect, half- 
rounded, with an awl-shaped beak. Anthers half two-celled. Pollen-masses two, roundish, with 
an elongated appendage, and a minute gland. 
Specific Character. — Plant epiphytal, caulescent. Leaves strap-shaped, acuminate, obliquely two- 
toothed at the summit, spotted at the base. Corymb many-flowered, shortly pedunculate. Sepals 
and petals obovately oblong, obtuse, yellow, marked with roundish purple spots. Labellum with an 
inflated spur, nearly circular, with a crescent-shaped ciliated plate. 
Diminutive as are the flowers of this pretty orchidaceous plant, it is so exceed- 
ingly interesting in habit, and its blossoms exhibit such a charming combination of 
showy hues, that it will certainly win a place in the esteem of all who delight to 
worship at Nature's shrine, and to feast their vision on its gems, with the exalted 
view of eliciting some new benevolent and benign trait in the character of its divine 
Founder and Upholder. 
There can be few well-regulated minds but have derived exquisite gratifi- 
cation from a survey of the wondrous variety of attractive features which the 
vegetable kingdom presents. An entirely new field, however, has recently been 
opened to their gaze, by the introduction to Britain of so many members of the 
remarkable tribe Orchidacece. Some of the choicest and most ornamental of these 
species we have from time to time figured in our Magazine, and although the 
subject of our present remarks has not the splendour of many others, it possesses 
several truly excellent and admirable characteristics. 
We have latterly had frequent occasion to record the results of the exploratory 
tour of his Grace the Duke of Devonshire's botanical collector in the East Indies ; 
and the plant now noticed furnishes a renewed instance of its success. Mr. Gibson 
brought specimens of this species to Chats worth in 1837? which flowered, and one 
of which was figured as here represented, in August, 1838. It occupies a range of 
country on the Khoseea Hills, about 4000 feet above the level of the sea. In 
this locality, it is found depending from the branches of trees, in confined humid 
forests, where it appears to shrink from the immediate influence of the solar beams. 
vol. VI.— no. lxv. o 
