129 
PLEUROTHALLIS ? COCCINEA. 
Red-flowered Pleurothallis. 
GYNANDRIA MONANDRIA—Nat. Ord. ORCHIDEJE. 
Gen. CHxu.—Lahellum articulatum, connexum cum basi simplici vel brevis- 
sime producta columnae. Petala duo antica exteriorum inferne conna- 
tum.— jBr. in Hort. Kerv. 
Pleurothallis coccinea ; foliis lineari-lanceolatis obtusis distichis, floribus 
secundis, labello basi breviter calcarato incluso. 
Parasitic. Root a few simple, whitish, flexuose fibres. Stems scarcely any ; 
they may rather be considered oblong, compressed bulbs, formed by the 
sheathing distichous bases of the leaves. Leaves linear-lanceolate, ob- 
tuse, glabrous, 5 or 6 inches long, distichous, yellow-green, of a some- 
what thick and coriaceous texture. Peduncle from within the sheathing 
base of the leaves, 6 or 8 inches long, drooping. 
Flowers in racemes, when in bud inclosed within imbricated, distichous, 
ovato-acute bracteas, afterwards, when fully expanded, all pointing up- 
wards and secund, of a deep rose colour. The three uppermost petals 
are subconnivent, and stand forward, of a broadly ovate form, concave ; 
the two inferior ones are a little inclined downwards wholly beneath the 
lip, united for the whole length of their lower margin into one portion, 
like the keel of many papilionaceous flowers, and laterally compressed so 
as to be closed except at the very base, where it receives the spur of the 
lip : below at the base it is gibbous. Lip standing forward, rather longer 
than the petals, oblong, slightly spreading and deflexed at the extremity, 
notched at the margin, of a fine deep rose colour, with two obscure tu- 
bercles, and yellow at the base above ; white at the base below, and there, 
where it joins the column, lengthened out into a short and acute spur. 
Column short, cylindrical, pure white. Anther ovate, terminal, white, 
fixed to the back of the stigma behind by a short filament, 1-celled, in- 
closing two, ovato-globose, yellowish-white pollen-masses, with an im- 
pression behind, fixed to the extremity of a filiform stalk, whose base has 
an oblong gland protruded just beyond the anther. Stigma concave, 
with two minute, upright, red teeth, on each side at the top, and two 
large incurved orange-brown ones below in front. Germen clavate, not 
twisted, reddish-green. 
VOL. II. 
