Cynorchis
(from kyon, kynos, a dog, and Orchis; a name altered by Lindley from the Cynosorchis of Thouars). SYN. Cynosorchis. ORD. Orchideae. A genus embracing about sixteen species of stove, terrestrial Orchids, with the habit of Habenaria rotundifolia, natives of the Mascarene Islands and tropical Africa. Flowers mediocre or rather small, shortly pedicellate; sepals sub-equal, concave, at length spreading; peta's similar or smaller; lip continuous with the column, spreading, as long as the sepals, three to five-cleft, produced in a spur; column very short; raceme short or rarely elongated, rather loose. Only two species call for description. For culture, see Bletia, on pp. 195-6, Vol. I.
C. elegans (elegant). fl. whitish, with a rosy tinge, disposed in three to seven-flowered racemes; odd sepal gibbous, convex, abrupt over the triangular, acute apex; side sepals ligulate, acute or blunt-acute, longer than the odd sepal; lip with a small angle on each side at the base, the lamina spotted or lined deep purple. l. cuneate-oblong-lanceolate, acute, 2in. long by 1/2in. wide, light green, striped and barred mauve-purple. Madagascar. C. Lowiana (Low's). fl., sepals and petals whitish-green; lateral sepals oblong, obtuse; odd sepal convex-oblong, blunt-acute, shorter than the lateral ones; petals ligulate, acute; lip lilac, three-cleft, the lateral laciniae linear, extrorse, the mid-lacinia deeply two-cleft, with a deep purple, obcordate spot at base. l. one or two, about 9in. long, 3/4in. wide, dark green. Madagascar.