Page:Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Volume 58 (1831).djvu/117

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Dendrobium speciosum. Great Dendrobium.

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Class and Order.

Gynandria Monandria.

(Nat. Ord.—Orchidaceæ.)

Generic Character.

Labellum ecalcaratum, articulatum cum apice processus unguiformis, cujus lateribus petala antica adnata, calcar æmulantia. Masse pollinis 4, parallelæ. Br.

Specific Character and Synonyms.

Dendrobium speciosum; caulibus erectis apice 2–3 phyllis, foliis ovalis-oblongis integerrimis racemo terminali multifloro brevioribus, perinathii foliosis angusto-oblongis, labello infra divisuram carina unica, lobo intermedio latiore quam longo ecarinato. Br.
Dendrobium speciosum. Sm. Ex. Bot. p. 17. t. 10. Br. Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl. p. 332. Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. 2. v. 5. p. 212. Spreng. Syst. Veget. v. 3. p. 738.

Descr. Stem a foot or more high, somewhat swollen, bulbiform, striated, jointed, sheathed with pale membranaceous scales, terminated by three large, coriaceous, oval-oblong, obtuse leaves, dark green above, paler beneath, obscurely striated, eight to nine inches long. From the centre of these, and from the extremity of the stem, arises the pedunculated raceme, a foot and a half long: its peduncle sheathed with large scales or bracteæ. Flowers resupinate, numerous, of an uniform, pale yellow colour, (except the lip,) deeper towards the extremity, generally secund when most expanded, though the buds point in various directions, scentless. Petals narrow-oblong, nearly equal, except that the two upper ones which cover the lip are

Somewhat