refugium Botanicum. | [ October, 1872. 
TAB. 97. 
Tribe NEoOTTIACE®. 
Genus Petexs, Poit. é L. C. Rich. 
P, rrmopsa (Lindl.! Gen. & Sp. Orch. 483!) Radice fasciculata, fibris 
cylindraceis acutis villosis, foliis paucis rosulatis longius petio- 
latis, lamina cuneata oblonga acuta, caule florido multo breviori- 
bus, caule vulgo bipedali usque quadripedali, vaginis oblongis 
acuminatis basi arctis superne laxis, infimis approximatis, 
medianis distantibus, pilis infra quibusdam sparsis, superne 
approximatis, racemo elongato multifloro, floribus anthesi haud 
ita approximatis, bracteis ligulatis acuminatis quinquenerviis, 
basi seepe oblique insertis, ovaria brevissima seu non pedicellata 
subequantibus, ovariis subcalvis, sepalo summo abbreviato 
ovato acuto, sepalis lateralibus triangulo-falcatis in cornu cy- 
lindraceo-extinctoriiforme antice altius fissum coalitis, tepalis 
cuneato-oblongis acutis, labello ligulato, apice attenuato acuto, 
ante apicem utrinque acutangulo, disco papulis quibusdam 
clavatis, columna libera clavata, androclinio antice rotundato 
cum apiculo, lateribus immarginato, fovea supposita obsemi- 
lunata seu triangula, anthera oblonga, per dorsum carina 
obtusata, polliniis geminis oblongis, utrinque ex lobis seriatis 
fissis, caudicula breyi alte fissa, glandula oblonga acuta 
obscura. 
When Dr. Lindley published the plant he was not aware of its 
habitat: “I have often received this plant from garden collectors, 
but never with any intimation of its native country, which, how- 
ever, is no doubt Tropical America.” Whether the area of the 
plant is a wide one I cannot say. I have at hand a specimen 
collected by Riedel, sandy places of woods, Restinga Tijuca, in 
Brazil, Aug. 1833! Mr. Weddel’s No. 510! gathered near Rio, 
would appear to be the same. Probably the plant is to be found 
in many other places, but our knowledge of terrestrial Orchids 
is very poor, since they are now-a-days generally totally neg- 
lected by collectors. The plant in the Saundersian collection 
came from Rio. In former times it was frequently met with in 
German collections, but I feel great doubts whether there may 
now be a single plant in all the gardens of the Continent. 
