Phajus
SYNS. Pachyne and Tankervillia. Including Limatodes, Pesomeria, and Thunia. ORD. Orchideae. A genus comprising about twenty-five species of tall, terrestrial or epiphytal, stove orchids, mostly tropical Asiatic, but also found in tropical Africa and the Mascarene Islands, Australia, the Pacific Islands, China, and Japan. Flowers yellow, violet, or white, few or many in a raceme, pedicellate; sepals free, sub-equal, spreading or erect; petals similar, but narrower; lip erect, concave or cucullate, spurred at base, or curved and produced continuous with the base of the column; lateral lobes large, erect, sometimes undulated and confluent with the middle lobe at apex; middle lobe expanded, spreading or recurved, frequently undulated at apex; column rather long, sub-terete, two-angled or two-winged, clavate at apex; scapes or peduncles sometimes springing from the caudex, sometimes lateral or terminal. Leaves ample or elongated, folded, narrowed at base or contracted into a long petiole; sheaths often striate. The species are of tolerably easy culture. They thrive best in a compost of loam, leaf mould, and rotten cow-dung. Plenty of heat and moisture are essential during the growing season; but when at rest, the plants may be kept rather dry and in a cooler temperature. Propagated by dividing the bulbs after flowering. P. grandifolius is the best known species; it may readily be grown into large specimens. P. albus (white).* fl. white, showy, three or four in a terminal, drooping raceme, shorter than the leaves; sepals and petals oblong-lanceolate, acute; lip nearly 2in. across, oblong, cucullate, denticulate, rounded at apex, the disk yellow, veined with rose, five-crested. l. oblong-lanceolate, acute, glaucous beneath, lower ones smaller, the lowest scale-like. Stem nearly 2ft. high. Nepaul, 1836. SYN. Thunia alba. (B. M. 3991; B. R. xxiv. 33.) P. Bensonae (Mrs. Benson's).* fl. of a bright rosy-purple, whitish towards the centre, large and showy, from 2in. to 3in. across; lip deep rich rosy-purple, with bright yellow crests on the disk; raceme short, produced from the top of the stem. July. l. subdistichous, linear-lanceolate, 6in. to 10in. long, slightly glaucous beneath. Stems fascicled. Tubers nodose. h. 1ft. Rangoon, 1867. A beautiful plant. SYN. Thunia Bensoniae (B. M. 5694). P. Bernaysii (Bernays'). fl. pale yellow within, white without; lip three-lobed and white; scape from 2ft. to 3ft. high. l. lanceolate, plicate, dark green. h. 3ft. Queensland, 1873. This can only be distinguised from P. grandifolius by the pale yellow colour of the flower inside, and the labellum being also yellow, edged with white. (B. M. 6032, under name of P. Blumei Bernaysii.) P. bicolor (two-coloured).* fl. 4in. in diameter; sepals and petals deep bright red-brown, linear-lanceolate; lip rose, yellow, and white, much broader, oblong, rolled round the column, much undulated at the edges, curved downwards at the upper end, at its base lengthened into a horn. l. 1 1/2in. long, not tapering to a petiole, but rolled round each other. Stem naked below, covered with flowers above, 2ft. high. Rhizome fleshy, knobby, like that of an Irish. Ceylon, 1837. (B. M. 4078.) P. Dodgsonii (Dodgson's).* fl. pure white, with the throat or base of the fringed lip of a pale cinnabar-red, disposed in terminal racemes. India, 1877. Probably only a fine variety of P. albus.
P. grandifolius (large-leaved).* fl. from 3in. to 4in. across; sepals and petals of a brownish colour within, and white without, lanceolate; lip convolute, white, with a dark crimson-brown throat; spikes 2ft. to 4ft. high, many-flowered, well adapted for cutting. January to March. l. broadly lanceolate, 2ft. to 3ft. long. h. 3ft. China to Australia, 1778. A noble evergreen orchid, one of the best for exhibition purposes. SYNS. Bletia Tankervilliae (B. M. 1924), Limodorum Tankervilliae (A. B. R. 426). There is a handsome variety, superbus (F. d. S. vii. 738).
P. Humblotii (Humblot's). fl. rosy, with white and red blotches, large; lip spurless, having a saddle-like callus on its disk, running out in a small keel; raceme few-flowered. Madagascar, 1880. A beautiful species. P. inquilinus (tenant). fl. cream-colour, the three keels of the lip being yellowish-white. 1867. A hybrid form, the parents of which are unknown. P. irroratus (bedewed).* fl. large; sepals and petals rich cream-colour, tipped with rosy-pink; lip nearly round, creamy-white, stained with yellow at the base; spike erect. 1867. A very handsome form, the result of a cross between P. grandifolius and Calanthe vestita. (G. C. 1867, p. 264; G. C. n. s., xviii. 565.) P. maculatus (spotted). fl. rich yellow, borne on short spikes in great profusion. Spring. l. long, dark green, spotted with yellow. Pseudo-bulbs large, somewhat ovate. h. 2ft. India, 1823. A showy and desirable plant, not often seen in cultivation. (B. M. 3960; L. B. C. 1803.) SYN. Bletia Woodfordii (B. M. 2719).
P. Marshalliae (Mrs. Marshall's).* fl. white, large; lip marked on the upper part with a little yellow, the lower part beautifully fringed. June. h. 2ft. Moulmein, 1871. A lovely plant, well suited for exhibition purposes, and continuing to throw fresh blossoms for a long time. SYN. Thunia Marshalliae. P. tetragonus (tetragonal). fl. reddish-brown internally, and greenish externally; sepals and petals similar in shape, &c.; lip yellow, streaked with orange-red, undivided, cucullate, parallel with, and partly surrounding the column, with the lower part of which it is adnate, and forms a slight protuberance at the bottom; peduncles lateral, bearing a loose spike of eight to ten rather large blossoms. Winter. l. broad, membranous, long-pointed. Stems sharply four-angled, jointed, 1ft. or more high. Mauritius, 1837. (B. M. 4442, under name of Pesomeria tetragona.) P. tuberculosus (tubercled).* fl. snow-white; lip very fine, funnel-shaped below, with wide, yellowish lateral lobes, covered over and over with brown blotches, on an anterior, obcordate, wavy, middle lacinia, white, with mauve marginal spots; spikes four to six-flowered, erect. Spring. l. oblong, plicate, 1ft. long. Stem slender and twisted. Madagascar, 1881. (Gn., July 19, 1884; G. C. n. s., xviii. 565.) P. Wallichii (Dr. Wallich's).* fl. orange-yellow, or buff tinged with purple, from 4in. to 5in. across; lip yellow, with a brown throat; spikes tall, upright, 3ft. to 5ft. high. March to May. h. 4ft. to 5ft. Khasya Hills, India, 1837. A vigorous-growing plant, similar in habit to P. grandifolius.