Thtsmia .] 
CXLllia. BURMANNIACEiE. 
307 
3. THISMIA, Griff. 
Fleshy whitish saprophytes; rhizome creeping and ascending a 
few inches tall with scale-like leaves and 1 or 2 rarely more terminal 
flowers rather large for the plant. Perianth-tnbe campanulate or 
turbinate usually with a ring (annulus) round the mouth, falling 
off as the fruit ripens. Sepals and petals usually elongate lanceolate 
acuminate or caudate. Stamens 6, adnate to tube; filaments very 
short; connectives broad deflexed. Style short. Ovary turbinate, 
i-locular. Capsule fleshy opening by a deciduous lid. Seeds very 
numerous, oblong ribbed. Species 12 to 15, tropical Asia and 
S. America. 
Stems several; flowers 4 to 6 in a raceme 
Stems simple; flowers 1 or 2 terminal. 
Sepals and petals flat lanceolate acuminate 
Sepals short flat; petals caudate 
Sepals and petals caudate terete. 
Perianth tube erect large urn-shaped, pink 
striped ....... 
Perianth tube erect obconic, yellow 
Perianth tube bent at an angle with ovary, brown 
pink and yellow ..... 
(1) Th. racemosa 
(2) Th. fumida 
(3) Th. arachnites 
(4) Th. grandiflora 
(5) Th. aseroe 
(6) Th. chrysops 
(1) Th. racemosa Ridl. Journ. Roy. As. Soc. S, Br. 69, p. 13. 
Plant 2 in. tall; stems several. Flowers 4 to 6 in a raceme; 
pedicels *5 in. long. Bracts persistent linear acuminate, -12 in. 
long. Perianth tube *25 in. long, cylindric, limb -25 in. wide. 
Sepals and petals 6 short triangular-ovate similar, annulus in mouth 
large. Fruit *12 in. long, semi-globose, narrowed at base, crowned 
by the raised edge of corolla-tube. Hab. Pahang, Temerloh, low 
ground near a swamp (Burn-Murdoch). 
(2) Th. fumida Ridl. Journ. Roy. As. Soc. S. Br. 22, p. 338; 
Mat. ii. 74. 
Whole plant 4 in. tall; rhizome with 3 or 4 stems. Flower 
solitary, -25 in. long, nearly *5 in. across. Perianth-tube sub- 
globose, scabrid narrowed at base, white striped pink. Sepals 
and petals equal, greenish grey, lanceolate, tips subulate. Style 
very short. Capsule short, ribbed, edge crenulate. Hab. Dense 
forest among dead leaves. Very rare. Singapore, Chan Chu 
Kang. Selangor at Petaling (Ridley). 
(3) Th. arachnites Ridl. Journ. Roy As. Soc. S. Br. 44, p. 197; 
Mat. ii. 74. 
Stem 1 to 3 in. tall. Flowers 2 or 3; perianth-tube urn-shaped, 
base narrowed, *75 in. long, semi-transparent, ribbed and barred 
whitish with 6 red vertical streaks, annulus in tube-mouth yellow. 
Sepals ear-like, short. Petals caudate, white, 1-5 in. long; style 
short. Capsule cup-shaped, -25 in. long and as wide. Hab. Rare 
in dense forest. Perak, Thaiping Hills just above the Tea Gardens 
(Ridley). 
