BULBOPHYLLUM

Thouars.

Pseudobulbs from a creeping rhizome (rarely 0), 1-very rarely 2-leaved. Scape from the base of the pseudobulbs , rarely distant from it .Flowers solitary , capiatable , umbelled , spicate or racemose . Sepals subequal , or the dorsal rather shorter (rarely only half as long), lateral adnate to the foot of the column . Petals various ,usually much smaller than the dorsal sepal . Lip jointed on the foot of the column , mobile , usually very small and strongly recurved . Column very short , often 2-aristate at the top ; anther 2-celled ; pollinia 4 (2 rarely suppressed ).-Species about 100, tropical and subtropical , chiefly Asiatic , a fe Africa, American and Australian.

A polymorphous genus , of which III. A resembles Sarcopodium of Dendrobium ,but differs in its mobile lip , and scape lateral on the pseudobulbs .-See under Cirrhopetalum for further remarks .

Sect . I. EPICRIANTHES.

Rhizome creeping , pseudobulbous .Flowers solitary , axillary , very shortly pedicelled .Petals represented by 6-7 elongate narrowly strap-shaped stipitate pendulous mobile threads .- Epicarianthes ,Blume .

Sect. II. OXSEPALA.

Stems many from a rooting base, densely tufted , very slender , pendulous , much branched , clothed with scarious silvery sheaths ; pseudobulbs few, minute , ovoid . Flowers very small, solitary or 2-nate on a very scape which is concealed by the sheaths ; bracts cymbiform . Sepals very slender , connivent .

Sect. III. EUBULBOPHYLLUM.

Rhizome creeping , bearing distant or approximate pseudobulbs (sometimes very small or 0, see. p. 765). Inflorescence various .Lip usually strongly recurved and much shorter than the sepals.-The divisions of this sction are in great measure articifial .(See remarks under Cirrhopetalum).

A. Flowers solitary , rarely 2-3 , usually large. Scape sometimes very short, with the pedicel of the flower long and scape-like .Petals and lip usually much larger than in the other groups.

Column truncate, teeth at the apex in front 0, or minute.

Lip sessile , i.e. foot of column not produced beyond the insertion of the later sepals.

Sect. IV. IONE.

Lateral sepals usually connate and placed under the lip . Lip rather large, straight , rigid . Pollinia 4, attached in pairs to two cartilaginous glands.

Flowers 3/4 -1 in . long . Lateral sepals 5-7 nerved.