Rodriguezia
(named in honour of Em. Rodriguez, a Spanish physician and botanist). Burlingtonia is now regarded, by the authors of the "Genera Plantarum," as synonymous with this genus, but is kept distinct in this work. ORD. Orchideae. A genus comprising about a score of species of interesting, stove, epiphytal orchids, natives of tropical America. Flowers usually showy, many in a simple raceme; dorsal sepal free, petaloid, the lateral ones narrow, connate; petals similar to the dorsal sepal; lip continuous, or very shortly connate with the base of the column, the base often produced into a spur, the lamina spreading, obovate or obcordate, often exceeding the sepals, the disk usually crested; column erect, slender, club-shaped or produced into two auricles at the apex; pollen masses two; scapes axillary under the pseudo-bulbs. Leaves oblong or elongated, coriaceous. For culture of the species described below, see Burlingtonia.
R. Batemani (Bateman's). This is the correct name of the plant described in this work as Burlingtonia Batemani.
R. caloplectron (beautiful-spurred). fl. light yellowish-white, twisted; lateral sepals forming a long, compressed, horn-like, acute body, wrapping round the spur of the emarginate lip; column square-winged; inflorescence usually pendulous, few-flowered. l. solitary, thick, lanceolate, acuminate. Pseudo-bulbs small, oblong-ligulate. New Grenada, 1871.
R. lanceolata (lanceolate). A synonym of R. secunda. R. Leeana (Lee's). fl. the size of those of Burlingtonia candida; ovary light mauve; upper sepal white, yellowish on mid-line; latral ones white with yellow mid-line, quite connate; petals ligulate; lip clawed, white, with two long-linear, yellow keels, every keel having four small, lateral keels spreading outwards; column white, with numerous mauve spots. l. linear-ligulate, acute, 1ft. long. Pseudo-bulbs ancipitous. Native country uncertain, 1883. A curious and very stout species.
R. Lehmanni (Lehmann's). fl. whitish-ochre, with a brown wash; odd sepal gibbous-fornicate in the middle; lateral ones combined in a narrow, falcate, spur-like organ, with a broad, membranous lamina before the apex; petals cuneate-obovate, emarginate; lip having a solid, acute spur between the lateral sepals, the free part clawed, suddenly enlarged in a blade, blotched and spotted with cinnamon. New Grenada and Ecuador, 1882. (G. C. xix. 403.)
R. refracta (bent back). fl. of a peculiar yellow-salmon colour, few, in a porrect raceme; dorsal sepal cuneate-obovate, bluntly acute, the lateral ones combined into one navicular, narrow body; petals cuneate-obovate; lip clawed, expanding into an emarginate blade, having on both sides four or five angular keels. l. of pseudo-bulb cuneate-oblong, acute. Peru. (Ref. B. 129.)
R. secunda (side-flowering). fl. dark rose-colour, disposed in a cylindrical, recurved spike, which is longer than the leaves; sepals fornicate; petals ovate, obtuse; lip abruptly deflexed. l. lanceolate, obliquely emarginate at the apex. Pseudo-bulbs oval, compressed. h. 6in. Trinidad, 1820. (B. M. 3524; B. R. 930.) SYNS. R. lanceolata (L. B. C. 676), Pleurothallis coccinea (H. E. F. 129).