Chapter II: Part 2

As regards shading none of these plants like the hot sun, but they need all the light that can be given them, without exposing them to bright sunshine. The blinds ought never to be let down when there is no sun, as the shade will draw them up dwindling and weakly, whereas if they have plenty of light they grow robust, and bring better flowers of a finer colour. This is the case with those at Broomfield, as Mr. Warner uses a very thin shading, and being in a fine open country place they get the pure air and clear light which is so beneficial to them. We believe the plants delight in this treatment, for we do not often see them doing so well in close places or in large towns as when they are located a few miles in the country. Most Orchids, indeed, thrive, fairly well in towns, provided their wants are attended to, but the treatment of course should be different, as when grown in close places they require more ventilation, and all the light that can be secured, whereas when grown in a country place like Broomfield, observation and experience must decide as to the necessities of the locality and its surroundings. Even then the cultivator requires much practice and forethought, in order to produce the best results, especially as the temperature varies so much in different situations: for instance, when, on the one hand, the houses are on a high hill exposed to all weathers, or, on the other hand, are in a sheltered spot on a hill-side, or in a valley, in all which localities there will be experienced considerable differences of temperature and light. The sun, moreover, varies in power. Orchid growers should find out the peculiarities of place and climate in which they are placed, and act accordingly. This is one of the great secrets in the successful cultivation of all plants, not of Orchids only; and in order to ensure success, all those points must be studied and acted on. Many growers are fully aware of these requirements, but others are not so well informed.

_Masdevallias_ are free-growing and free-rooting plants, and are easily increased by dividing the tufts just as they are about to make their growth; but it must not be expected that these will flower well until they get established, which they will do best in small pots after being divided. The second year the growth will be stronger and as they get established larger pots may be given to them as required. Rough fibrous peat, sphagnum moss, and good drainage should be given, and the roots must be kept moist. Insects should be kept under. They are subject to attacks of green fly on their young growths and flower spikes, and of thrips on the leaves, which must be kept under, or the growth will be crippled.

MAXILLARIA LUTEO-ALBA.
[Plate 106.]
Native of Colombia.

Epiphytal. _Pseudobulbs_ large, about two and a half inches high,
ovate obtuse, compressed, clustered, bearing at the apex a solitary
leaf. _Leaves_ stalked by the folding of the basal portion, oblong
obtuse, a foot long or more, of a dark green colour. _Peduncles_
radical, about half the length of the leaves, invested throughout with
green sheathing bracts. _Flowers_ large and peculiar in form,
triangular in outline, and measuring about six inches from the top of
the dorsal to the top of the lateral sepal, brownish externally;
_dorsal sepal_ linear-oblong, acute, three inches long, of a tawny
yellow in the upper two-thirds of its length, the basal third white,
_lateral sepals_ of the same form, size, and colours, but twisted;
_petals_ two, erect, or somewhat projecting like two horns, ovate
oblong, about half as long as the sepals, white at the base, with a
few splashes of purple, yellow at the tip, with a blotch of pale brown
of about equal size between; _lip_ concave at the base, hairy, the
margins undulated, three-lobed, the lobes obtuse, the lateral ones
short, erect, yellow, striped with purple, the front one oblong,
emarginate, recurved, the central portion convex, yellow, the margins
paler, whitish. _Column_ short, curved, creamy-white.

Maxillaria luteo-alba, _Lindley_, _Orchidaceæ Lindenianæ_, 20;
_Reichenbach fil._, in _Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematiceæ_, vi.,
516; _Id._ _Bonplandia_, ii., 15, 280.

The _Maxillarias_ form a genus of Orchids not much appreciated by many growers, but of late there has been greater variety introduced among them, and they are becoming more popular in cultivation. Some of the better and more showy kinds are quite worth bringing before our readers, as they are free-growing plants, and most of them may be kept along with the cool Orchids.

Our figure of _Maxillaria luteo-alba_ was taken from a plant we flowered at Holloway, and exhibited at one of the meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society, and for which we were awarded a First Class Certificate. We bloomed it many years ago, but we found that Orchid growers of the present day had many of them not seen it. We find it very useful for cutting purposes, as it flowers when the plants are small, which in our opinion is far better than making large specimens. When they get too large we cut them into several pieces, and grow them on again for blooming. The flowers having stalks about six inches long, may be cut without damaging the plants; they are extremely useful for button-hole bouquets, which are so much in request at the present day.

_Maxillaria luteo-alba_ is an evergreen plant, with dark green foliage, and grows about eighteen inches high. The flowers proceed from the base of the pseudobulbs at different times of the year. The sepals and petals are of a yellowish brown, and the lip yellow margined with white, the throat being striped with purple.

We find this species succeeds well in the cool house, with _Odontoglossum Alexandræ_; good fibrous peat suits it well, and it requires good drainage, with a liberal supply of water at the roots when it is in vigorous growth, as it is a free-rooting plant. After the growth is completed it should have only sufficient water to keep the pseudobulbs in a fresh plump state. A little shade is beneficial to the foliage of the plant in summer, but it should be grown as fully exposed to the light and as near to the glass as possible. Under this treatment it will be found to grow freely.

Renanthera Lowii.—This noble plant, also known as _Vanda Lowii_, has bloomed very finely in the collection of Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, at Ferrières, near Paris, this being the finest and best grown specimen we have seen. The main stem is about six feet high, with four growths from it, and every leaf is perfect, which is rarely the case. It bore eleven of its charming pendulous spikes or racemes of flowers, each spike extended to the length of nine feet; it had a noble appearance. with its reddish brown flowers, marked by irregular lines of greenish yellow; but the most curious part connected with the inflorescence of this plant is, that at the base it produces two blossoms of a tawny yellow, spotted with crimson, quite dissimilar from the others. The plant in question is a most remarkable one, and we may say that it is the finest specimen we have had the good fortune to behold. Great credit is due to Mr. Bergman for the production of such a specimen. The eleven spikes were, we understand, cut and sent to the Baroness in London. Gardening is well carried on at Ferrières; every department is well kept. There are many thousands of plants grown for purposes of decoration, which is kept up through the whole year. The mansion is a splendid structure, and the grounds are beautifully laid out, abounding with fine trees, and provided with lakes. In fact, it is one of the finest and best kept garden establishments we have seen, and great praise is due to those who have the management of it.—B. S. W.

SACCOLABIUM CURVIFOLIUM.
[Plate 107.]
Native of India (Nepal and Birmah) and Ceylon.

Epiphytal. _Stem_ dwarf, erect, densely leafy. _Leaves_ crowded,
distichous, linear, obliquely præmorse, with an acute apex, deflexed,
channelled towards the base, pale green. _Racemes_ erect from the
upper axils, six inches long, densely flowered, the peduncles pale
green, bracteate, the pedicels red, six-angled, with a small ovate
bracteole at the base. _Flowers_ bright cinnabar-red, about an inch
across, somewhat concave; _dorsal sepal_ obovate, with a claw-like
base, entire; _lateral sepals_ somewhat broader at the base, and
unequal-sided, all spreading, and of a uniform dense cinnabar-red;
_petals_ of the same form as the dorsal sepal, and of a similar tint
of colour; _lip_ with a cylindraceous obtuse spur over a quarter of an
inch long, to the front side of which is attached a tongue-like linear
lamina, truncately-emarginate at the apex, and having a central paler
orange rib with two knobs at the top of the spur-tube; at the back of
the spur are two short erect lobes, which are convex outwardly, and
with a boss or protuberance on the inner surface; lip more orange than
the sepals, the processes at the end of the spur yellow; _spur_ of the
same colour as the lip. _Column_ short, deep red, semi-terete, the
angle winged upwards, the anther-case tinted with violet.

Saccolabium curvifolium, _Lindley_, _Genera and Species of
Orchidaceous Plants_, 222; _Bateman_, _Second Century of Orchidaceous
Plants_, t. 130; _Lemaire_, _L’Illustration Horticole_, xii, t. 493.

Saccolabium miniatum, _Hooker_, _Botanical Magazine_, t. 5326—fide
Bateman and Lemaire.

The _Saccolabium_ rank among the richest and most beautiful of the Orchid family; indeed, there are some magnificent species among those cultivated in our Orchid houses, which we hope to figure as time passes on. In the present illustration we introduce to our subscribers one of the small growing kinds, and one of the most distinct which we have seen as regards its habit and the colour of its flowers. Our figure was taken from a well-grown plant in the fine collection of W. Lee, Esq., Downside, Leatherhead, whom we are glad to observe is collecting and cultivating, along with the other East Indian kinds, the best species and varieties of this genus that can be obtained.

_Saccolabium curvifolium_ is a dwarf and compact-growing evergreen plant, seldom seen more than a foot in height, with foliage of a light green colour, about four or five inches in length. It is a free-blooming kind, producing in May and June its bright orange-scarlet flowers, which continue in a fresh state for weeks. It is a very slow growing plant, and is seldom seen forming large specimens. Sometimes masses of it are imported, and these when set upon blocks of wood form charming specimens. We saw one in the collection of the Comte de Germiny, in France, which was most beautiful—two feet in height, and well bloomed; this specimen, which was suspended from the roof of the house, had a remarkably fine effect.

This plant will do either on blocks of wood or in small suspended pans or baskets, so that, it gets all the light possible. We find the best material to cultivate it in is sphagnum moss and a few pieces of charcoal intermixed, and it must have good drainage; it requires very little moss, as the roots like to enjoy the moist atmosphere of the house. The species is found growing on trees where the roots get the full benefit of the light and air; and if we imitate this as nearly as possible as regards their roots, we shall not go far wrong. Of course in our Orchid houses the treatment varies, and consequently the plant will require a little shade. The temperature required is that of the East India house.

Stanhopea gibbosa.—We have received from Alfred G. Wallis, Esq., of Balham, a grand spike of this great beauty. The plant, Mr. Wallis informs us, is growing in a wire basket about fifteen inches in diameter, and has borne five spikes of flowers, four of them with two flowers on a spike and one with one flower. The flowers are large, about six inches across; the petals are yellow, barred and blotched with crimson, the sepals assuming a darker tint of the same colour. Mr. Peacock was also successful in flowering this plant in June of the present year. It is a great pity Stanhopeas are not more popular among Orchid cultivators, as they form a very showy group of plants, their only drawback being the short time they continue in flower, and their very powerful and unpleasant odour.—B. S. W.

Disa grandiflora.—We received a wonderfully fine spike of this superb Orchid from Mr. Thomas Speed, the Duke of Devonshire’s gardener, at Chatsworth. The spike was two feet six inches in length from the pot, and bore twelve flowers of large size and fine colour—a bright scarlet and crimson, the lip veined with pink, which gives a nice contrast. It is a most charming cool-house Orchid that every one may grow who has an ordinary greenhouse. Mr. Speed is a most successful cultivator of this fine plant. We saw the first small plant he had to begin with some years ago, and this plant has gone on improving, and many offshoots have been taken from it which have also made fine specimens. The _Disa_ really seems to be no trouble to cultivate. The way in which Mr. Speed treats it is to grow it in a common greenhouse, where it gets plenty of fresh air and light, and here it requires nothing but plenty of water in the growing season. It is grown in sphagnum moss and rough fibrous peat and loam. There is no doubt that this plant does not get shifted from the place where it was found to do well. This is a great secret in plant culture. When a plant is found doing well, let it remain where it is, unless on trial another place is found to be equally suitable. Few people grow this _Disa_ well. The reason is, that they keep it in too warm a house, and coddle it too much. If they would follow Mr. Speed’s plan, there is no doubt they would succeed, if the plants are kept free from insects, and provided with sweet material about their roots.—B. S. W.

CATTLEYA TRIANÆ FORMOSA.
[Plate 108.]
Native of Colombia.

Epiphytal. _Stems_ oblong, club-shaped, furrowed, the lower parts
enveloped in whitish membranaceous sheaths. _Leaves_ solitary,
coriaceous, ligulate-oblong, obtuse, emarginate, deep green. _Scape_
two to three-flowered, proceeding from a terminal oblong compressed
bract or sheath. _Flowers_ large, six inches in depth and seven inches
in breadth, richly coloured; _sepals_ lanceolate, acute, about
three-fourths of an inch broad, blush or very dilute rosy-purple;
_petals_ much broader—two and a half inches, having the margins much
undulated, of the same blush or pallid purple hue as the sepals; _lip_
well displayed, convolute at the base so as to enclose the column, and
of a pallid purplish colour, the apical portion roundish, emarginate,
and expanded, nearly two and a half inches across, the margin
including the portion surrounding the throat, very much undulated so
as to form a crenate-lobate frill, the surface for about two-thirds of
the front of a deep rich magenta-purple, the disk and throat
orange-yellow, the upper edge paler, and the magenta tint passing
backwards in streaks over the disk.

Cattleya Trianæ formosa, _Williams MS_.

We now present to our readers a portrait of a most splendid variety of _Cattleya Trianæ_, of which them are numerous handsome forms, varying in colour from rose to crimson and magenta, and also to pure white, with intermediate tints. During the past five years there have been very large importations, but none that we have seen surpass the varieties we have already in cultivation, such as _Dodgsoni_, _Osmanii_, _Russelliana_, and _Williamsii_. These varieties are most difficult to improve upon, but probably we shall get other splendid forms among the large importations as they come to us from the different districts which the species inhabits. The _Trianæ_ section has given us a grand lot of varieties for winter decoration especially; there are very many distinct types among them, and they come into blossom at a time, during the dull months of winter, when flowers are wanted to make our houses gay. Our drawing was taken from a very large specimen that has been grown and bloomed by us for several years, and which we consider one of the most beautiful varieties in cultivation—we believe our plate will show us to be fully justified in so doing.

_Cattleya Trianæ formosa_ is a free and strong-growing evergreen kind, attaining fifteen inches high, with dark green foliage and strong sheaths. The flowers are of large size and substance, and are thrown well up so as to have a bold appearance, much more so than many others of its class. The sepals and petals are of a blush pink, and the lip rich rose-magenta, being beautifully frilled and edged with a lighter tint of the same colour, two and a quarter inches in diameter, have the throat orange veined with a deeper orange. The flowers are produced in February and March, lasting for several weeks in beauty.

It thrives best in a pot with rough peat and good drainage, and requires the same treatment as _C. Mossiæ_ and _C. Trianæ_, beginning to grow after it has finished blooming. These make their flower sheaths in summer, much earlier than most of the _Cattleyas_, which secures to this section more light and heat in which to finish off their growth before winter sets in. Their pseudobulbs must be kept dry during winter, as if allowed to get wet they will probably rot away; therefore, when their growth is finished, give only sufficient water to keep the pseudobulbs in a plump state.

Orchids at Gouville.—The Comte de Germiny, Chateau de Gouville, France, has a noted collection of Orchids, which we recently had the pleasure of visiting. We found many grand specimens that interested us exceedingly, including fine _Cattleyas_, _Lælias_, _Saccolabiums_, _Aërides_, _Vandas_, _Angræcums_, _Cypripediums_, _Phalænopsis_, &c. We gave a short notice of this splendid establishment in our second volume, and now confine our remarks to the specimens we saw in flower. Of _Cattleya labiata pallida_ there were two wonderful specimens, with over one hundred pseudobulbs on each; the first had forty-eight expanded flowers on it, and the other twenty-eight, a most gorgeous sight. Contrasting well with these were several good plants, in full bloom, of _Epidendrum nemorale majus_, with their drooping spikes of showy delicate rose-coloured flowers. These were backed up with a fine specimen of _Sobralia macrantha_, bearing thirty spikes of its rich purple and crimson flowers, of a large size. Then came _Epidendrum vitellinum majus_, suspended on a block, with twelve spikes of its bright orange-scarlet flowers, which always form a fine contrast with the surrounding colours. Near this were fine specimens of _Cattleya crispa superba_, and a specimen of _Cattleya Mendelii_. There were also some fine _Vandas_ in full beauty, as well as _Oncidiums_ with bright yellow blossoms, and _Dendrobium suavissimum_, with orange yellow and brown spotted flowers. A fine specimen of _Epidendrum prismatocarpum_ was showing fourteen spikes. M. Rondeau, the energetic gardener, informed us that they had at one time three hundred and ninety expanded flowers of _Cattleya Mossiæ_, _Mendelii Warnerii_, and others, which must have been a gorgeous sight; also _Cattleya citrina_, different plants, that produced fifty-two of their yellow fragrant flowers. It is always a delight to a lover of good plants to visit a place where gems like these are the pride of the owner; and in this case we found that the Comte de Germiny not only has a good knowledge of his plants, but took the greatest interest in showing them to us.—B. S. W.

CYPRIPEDIUM MELANOPHTHALMUM.
[Plate 109.]
Garden Hybrid.

Epiphytal. Acaulescent. _Leaves_ distichous, coriaceous,
oblong-lanceolate, acute, of a pale dull green colour, chequered with
coarse elongate reticulations of a darker green. _Scape_ (peduncle)
greenish, clothed with purple hairs, having near the apex a short
acuminate hairy bract, which is strongly ciliated. _Flowers_
medium-sized, of a rather showy character, solitary; _dorsal sepal_
broad ovate-acuminate, an inch and a half long, white flushed with
purple towards the base, distinctly marked with green veins, of which
the two pairs on each side the central one are alternately long and
short, while the rest become gradually shorter as they approach the
edge; united _lateral_ ones narrow ovate, whitish with green veins;
_petals_ glossy, linear oblong, dull purple on the upper side towards
the base, and marked with a series of blue warty hairy dots on the
upper edge, the apical portion bright reddish purple or wine-red, the
lower half somewhat greener, both margins ciliate; _lip_ bold, an inch
and three-quarters long, with a somewhat compressed pouch an inch
long, of a dull reddish purple suffused with green—the green colour
most apparent towards the tip and back—and distinctly marked with
darker purple reticulations, the sides veined, pale yellowish spotted
with crimson warts within, their upper angles produced into auricles.
_Staminode_ very prominent, hexagonal, emarginate in front with a
small tooth inside, veined with green in the centre, pale purplish
green at the edge, the surface shortly downy.

Cypripedium melanophthalmum, _Reichenbach fil._, _Gardeners’
Chronicle_, N.S., xiv., 525.

This is one of the numerous hybrid Lady’s Slippers that have been raised by R. Warner, Esq., Broomfield, Chelmsford. All these are of free-blooming character, every small growth bringing its quota of flowers. The foliage of the several forms is differently variegated, while the flowers of all the kinds are of long duration, which is an excellent quality in any plant. It will be seen from our illustration that _Cypripedium melanophthalmum_ is a pretty plant, and one well worthy of cultivation, since it produces flowers which are valuable for cutting purposes, the stems being firm and long, which makes it useful for vases and other decorations for the adornment of living rooms. The plants are grand for exhibition purposes, as they carry well without injury by tying each flower-stem to a small stick.

The _Cypripedia_ are of easy cultivation. They may, moreover, be freely hybridized, and are more readily produced from seed than many other subjects, as may be seen from the number which have been brought before the public, by those who make it their study to raise them in this way. Some persons are more successful in this branch of culture than others. There is no doubt that it requires a good deal of skill and tact to find out the best sorts for crossing, and also to effect the best crosses; moreover, it occupies a good deal of time, but we do not know of anything more delightful than this self-imposed task of improving the beauties of nature, and where one can devote attention to it, there must be a great deal of pleasure in watching the progress of one’s pets and noting the results of one’s labours when they put forth their blossoms.

_Cypripedium melanophthalmum_ is an evergreen plant, having light yellowish green foliage with dark reticulations and blotches. The flower stems grow about six inches high, bearing the interesting flower at the top; the dorsal sepal is white flushed with purple at the base, and veined with green; the petals are bright reddish crimson, with darker veins and black hairy blotches or wart-like spots on the edge; the pouch is bright crimson with a green base, netted with green and reddish brown.

It requires the same treatment as _C. barbatum_—that is, it should be potted in rough fibrous peat, with good drainage, and the plant should be well elevated above the pot-rim, so that the roots can run over and also into the soil. These plants require a good deal of water, nearly all the year round, as they have no thick fleshy bulbs to support them. It must always be borne in mind that they must be kept free from insects to ensure successful and satisfactory progress.

Aërides Lawrenciæ.—At Stevens’ Auction Rooms, on the 19th day of September last, there was a magnificent new _Aërides_ offered for sale, which realized the large sum of 235 guineas (£246 15_s._), the purchaser being Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P. It is encouraging to see that Orchids are more esteemed than ever they were, and that in spite of the enormous importations which are continually being received, good things are realising higher prices than ever. This new _Aërides_ resembles in habit a large growing form of _A. quinquevulnerum_: the flower-spike measures two feet in length, and bears thirty-two of its lovely blossoms, which seem to be intermediate between those of _A. odoratum_ and _A. quinquevulnerum_, possessing the strong aroma of the first-named plant. The flowers are very large, the sepals and petals white tipped with rosy-purple, the lip white marked with rich amethyst. It has just been named in compliment to Lady Lawrence.—H. W.

MASDEVALLIA HARRYANA MINIATA.
[Plate 110.]
Native of New Grenada.

Epiphytal. _Stems_ short, tufted, slender. _Leaves_ persistent, of
leathery texture, the blade spathulate, channelled at the base, keeled
behind, tapering down into the petiole, which is invested by whitish
brown membranaceous sheathing bracts. _Scape_ issuing from the bract,
investing the leaf base, radical, about a foot high, stiff, pale
green, thickly striate-blotched with purple, with one or two distant
sheathing bracts, and surmounted by the curved six-ribbed ovary, which
is dotted with purple. _Flowers_ remarkably brilliant in colour;
_tube_ about a quarter of an inch wide and upwards of half an inch
long, orange-yellow, the open tube forming a yellow eye to the flower;
_dorsal sepal_ filiform, recurved, two inches long; _lateral sepals_
deflexed falcate-ovate acute, fully two inches long by one inch wide,
of a bright vermilion-red flushed with scarlet, and having the
principal ribs of a rich deep crimson; _petals_ minute, oblong-obtuse,
white tinged with purple; _lip_ still shorter, the tip recurved
yellow, the disk with a deep furrow between two obtuse ridges.
_Column_ white, shorter than the petals, the winged margin extending
upwards into a toothed hood.

Masdevallia Harryana miniata, _Williams and Moore_, _supra_.

This is a most charming variety of _Masdevallia Harryana_, being quite a new colour in this section; it is the most distinct and beautiful for its brightness of hue—one which we have not yet seen developed to such perfection of brilliancy in any other variety. It may also be noted, that when mixed with other forms of various colours it blends with them most charmingly. How exceedingly bright and beautiful it is will be seen from our figure, in which, however, it has been extremely difficult for our artist to imitate the natural tint of the flower. Our sketch was taken from a well-bloomed plant in the large collection of _Masdevallias_ grown by W. Lee, Esq., of Downside, Leatherhead. It is a very rare as well as showy plant, and we shall be glad to see more of it, as it will assuredly be sought after.

_Masdevallia Harryana miniata_ is a dwarf compact-growing plant, with foliage about eight inches high of a bright dark green colour. The flowers are scarlet-vermilion with a bright yellow eye. It blooms during May and June, and lasts about four weeks in full beauty.

This plant will thrive under the treatment recommended for the forms of the _Harryana_ section in our first volume (Plate 24), where all the necessary particulars will be found. Mr. Woolford, the gardener at Downside, is a most successful cultivator, and has under his charge a house nearly 100 feet long filled with _Masdevallias_, wherein, when we last saw them, there were many hundreds of expanded blossoms of large size and high colour. They are potted in the same way that we recommend. Mr. Woolford seems to diffuse a great deal of moisture about the house during the summer months, and the soil they are growing in is kept very moist. If anyone wants to see these lovely plants in perfection and well cultivated, this is the place at which to find them.

Orchids at The Dell, Staines.—The collection of Baron Schröder is well worthy of a visit, there being always something to see and to learn. The Baron takes such great interest in his collection that he will have good species and good varieties. He does not fill his houses with numbers of imported plants to take the chance of what he may get, but he secures at once good healthy established plants of all the choicest and best known kinds. Of course, there is a chance of getting good forms among the imported plants, but along with them one finds a great many that one does not care for, but which have occupied valuable space; besides which such plants are unsightly in a show house. A few rough imported plants spoil the appearance of a whole collection, and we know ladies prefer to see good flowers accompanied by fine green foliage, which always renders a plant more agreeable to the eye.

We noticed many fine plants here in August last, when but few Orchids are in bloom: indeed there are always good plants blooming here. A splendid house has been allotted to _Cattleyas_, of which there are some grand and noble specimens; we noticed several fine plants of _Cattleya exoniensis_, also of the best form of _C. labiata_, with some wonderful specimens of _C. Trianæ_ and _C. Russelliana_, _C. Mendelii_, _C. Warnerii_, _C. Dominiana_ in two varieties, and many new hybrids. Of _Lælia purpurata_ there were fine specimens of the best varieties; also some good forms of _L. elegans_. There were several fine _Vandas_ in this house. We also noticed _Renanthera Lowii_, showing a vigorous spike of bloom, and by the side of this was a good specimen of _Cattleya crispa grandiflora_ with several spikes, one having nine flowers; also one of _C. gigas_ which bore seven flowers, and had a very large lip, quite distinct in colour. Associated with this was the rare _Lælia callistoglossa_ with a rich magenta lip, in full beauty and very showy. There were other good plants in bloom.

In the Saccolabium house there had been many fine kinds in flower. We noticed a very handsome _S. Blumei giganteum_ with a spike two feet long and of large size—the plant and spike we have seen. There were also fine varieties of _Phalænopsis violacea_ in bloom, and grand specimens of other rare species, also of _Cattleya Eldorado_, with some good _Aërides_, _Angræcums_, &c.

There were some handsome Odontoglots in bloom, and others had thrown some fine flower spikes; also some good plants of _Mesospinidium vulcanicum_, one with nine spikes of its richly-coloured flowers and others equally good; this plant produces a fine contrast among the white _Odontoglossums_, and such effective colours should be sought after, especially when, as here, associated with fine form.—B. S. W.

ODONTOGLOSSUM ELEGANS.
[Plate 111.]
Native of Ecuador.

Epiphytal. _Pseudobulbs_ oblong, somewhat furrowed, three inches long,
diphyllous. _Leaves_ ligulate, acute, tapered and channelled towards
the base, of a pale green colour. _Scape_ radical, slender, arching.
_Flowers_ racemed or panicled, stellate, three inches in breadth,
highly coloured, and showy in character, the yellow centre being very
conspicuous; _sepals_ lanceolate, attenuately not suddenly acuminate,
recurved and wavy at the edge, the dorsal two inches, the lateral ones
about an inch and three quarters long, white, yellow towards the tip,
with dark chocolate blotches, which almost cover the surface leaving
only a few broken bars near the base and a patch at the apex; _petals_
spreading at the extreme base, then incurved, and finally having the
tips recurved, ovate-lanceolate attenuately acuminate, the basal part
white with irregular spots and small blotches of chocolate brown, with
a larger spot about midway, exterior to which the petal is sometimes
spotless and sometimes marked with two or three spots; _lip_ having
its basal portion parallel with the column, then turned down at a
right angle, panduriform with a recurved cuspidate apex; at the angle
is a spreading fringe of many (about eight) projecting processes, the
two front ones continuous with the crest along the basal portion of
the lip, yellow with chocolate tips, and three shorter ones yellow
with a chocolate stripe; behind these are five reddish chocolate
stripes which appear like continuations of the teeth; hinder portion
about half an inch broad, pale yellow blotched with brown at the edge
but strongly recurved, succeeding which is a restricted part wholly
covered by a rich brown spot, after which the lip widens and passes
into a recurved cuspidate apex, which is white with one or two
chocolate blotches. _Column_ half an inch long, clavate, with two
subulate horns, white spotted with chocolate, the stigmatic hollow and
its margins stained with chocolate purple.

Odontoglossum elegans, _Reichenbach fil._, _Gardeners’ Chronicle_,
N.S., xi., 462.

The subject of our present portrait is a most beautiful and distinct Odontoglot, and one with which we believe our subscribers will be glad to become acquainted. It is an extremely rare plant, and the only specimen we have seen, was imported with a lot of _Odontoglossum cirrhosum_. It is doubtless a natural hybrid, of which that species is one of the parents, as it resembles it both in the shape of its flowers and growth. This plant was exhibited by H. M. Pollett, Esq., Bickley, Kent, before the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, from whom it received the highest honours. It has bloomed in this well-known collection for two successive years, the flowers very much finer and the growth stronger on the last occasion. It is an astonishing trait in the character of this Odontoglot, that the stronger the plants become the finer are the flowers, that is, provided they have a proper house and proper treatment. Mr. Pollett has some small span-roofed houses in which the plants seem to enjoy their position, as they are thriving well under his gardener’s care.

_Odontoglossum elegans_ is an evergreen species of compact growth, with light green foliage about ten inches in height. The pseudobulbs grow about three inches high. The sepals and petals are cream-coloured, tipped with yellow and irregularly blotched and barred with chestnut brown; the lip is long and similar in form to that of _O. cirrhosum_, having a large golden yellow crest. It blooms during the spring months, and lasts in beauty for several weeks, its drooping spikes producing more flowers than are shown in our drawing, as our artist was not able to show the full spike in his representation, from its being too long. This particular plant has been distinguished as Pollett’s variety, an unwieldy form of naming which we prefer not to adopt.

The plant requires the same cultivation and treatment as _Odontoglossum Alexandræ_ and others of that class, of which we have given full particulars in our first volume, under Plate 47.

Vanda Sanderiana.—It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce the flowering of this magnificent novelty, in the collection of W. Lee, Esq., Downside, Leatherhead, where it may now (September) be seen, bearing three spikes of its gorgeous flowers. One spike bears twelve flowers, and another eight. If the reader will imagine a dozen of these lovely blossoms, each from four to four and a half inches in diameter, collected together on one spike, he may form some idea of the magnificence of this grand novelty. In growth the plant resembles a gigantic _V. cœrulea_, but having much broader and longer leaves, and stouter stems and flower-spikes than that species. The spikes are produced from the axils of the leaves in an erect position. The leaves are from nine to twelve inches long, and about an inch broad, deeply channelled. The flowers are fully four inches in diameter; the upper sepal and the two petals are nearly of one size and of a blush-pink, about the colour of a pale variety of _Odontoglossum vexillarium_; the lower sepals are much larger and broader than the petals, two inches across, tawny yellow distinctly and beautifully reticulated with dull crimson over the entire surface; the lip is dull brownish crimson, and has three keels along the centre extending from the apex to the base. The contrast of the crimson markings on the yellow sepals renders this new Vanda one of the most distinct species we have ever seen. We have had a sketch of this plant prepared, and it will shortly be presented to our readers.—H. W.

CATTLEYA SKINNERI ALBA.
[Plate 112.]
Native of Costa Rica.

Epiphytal. _Stems_ obovate-oblong, compressed, furrowed, attenuated
below into a terete jointed stalk. _Leaves_ two, palish green,
spreading, leathery, oblong-obtuse, sub-emarginate. _Scape_ six to
eight-flowered, issuing from a short oblong spathe. _Flowers_
exceedingly chaste and elegant, pure white in colour, measuring four
inches in depth and breadth; _sepals_ plane, lanceolate, acute,
recurved at the extreme tip, half an inch in breadth, pure white;
_petals_ ovate-obtuse, one and a quarter inch in breadth, slightly
undulated towards the tips, also pure white; _lip_ white, the basal
part very closely and narrowly rolled around the column, and there
showing exteriorly on the lower side a slight stain of rose, which,
when unrolled, appears as a small rosy blotch, the front lobe roundish
reniform. _Column_ white, clavate, about an inch long.

Cattleya Skinneri alba, _Reichenbach fil._, _Gardeners’ Chronicle_,
N.S., vii., 810.

The fine genus _Cattleya_ is becoming more and more interesting and valuable every year, since many new forms and colours are continually coming before us. We feel great pleasure in being able to figure this chaste and lovely variety of _C. Skinneri_, which has pure snow white flowers. It is quite astonishing to find that white forms of so many different kinds of _Cattleya_ are being brought home by our energetic collectors. Many, indeed, have turned out to be white-flowered when we have bloomed them, without any knowledge of the fact on the part of those that have collected them, the reason being that often they do not find them in bloom, and it is, of course, difficult to know their colours unless they are in flower; moreover, it sometimes occurs that there are not many of the pure white forms. There may be others of a rosy hue, and it is frequently the case that seedlings come intermediate in colour. We hope our collectors may be fortunate enough to find pure white forms of other species in bloom, as they are so charming. The variation of colour which occurs in some of the species in their native country, is no doubt due to the intervention of insects, the action being just the same as that of the hybridizer in our plant-houses.

We bloomed a very fine pure white _Cattleya Skinneri_, an imported plant, some years ago, and we have since seen several white varieties, but the figure we now publish was taken from a plant in the collection of Sir Nathaniel de Rothschild, of Tring Park. The spike, as may be seen from our plate, was a good one, with well-expanded blossoms, not quite so large as in the parent _Cattleya Skinneri_, which is of a most charming rosy purple, and one of the most distinct and showy of Orchids. There are fine varieties of this species, especially one that has been grown in collections for many years, and that we have been in the habit of exhibiting for the past 35 years—even before that there were fine specimens of it in cultivation. The species was named after the late G. Ure Skinner, Esq., who imported it from Guatemala, together with many other Orchids, and whose name will always be associated with this class of plants, many fine kinds having been named after him.

_Cattleya Skinneri alba_ is an evergreen plant, with light green stems and foliage. The stems are about twelve inches high, and each produces two leaves about four inches long. The spikes proceed from an oblong sheath at the top of the stem in March and April. The sepals and petals are pure white with the throat of the lip pale yellow. It continues in bloom for two or three weeks, but it must be kept free from damp, as white flowers soon become spotted if kept in too cool and damp an atmosphere; it is always best to have a dry, warm house for plants that are in bloom, as they then last so much longer. Mr. Hill, the gardener at Tring Park, must have kept this specimen in a dry, warm house, as the flowers were most perfect when they reached us.

This plant requires the same treatment as _C. Skinneri_. It is best grown in a pot or basket, with good fibrous peat and sphagnum moss, the pots being filled three-parts full of drainage, then filled up with rough peat, placing some pieces of charcoal amongst it; this will keep it open and porous, and the roots will run freely among the charcoal. In the growing season the soil requires to be kept rather moist, but the plant does not like too much water about its roots at any time. It is best grown near the light, with a little shade when the sun is hot, the shading not being required at any other time. We find the warm end of the Cattleya house to suit it, as it requires more warmth than some of the other Cattleyas. When the growth is finished in autumn, very little water should be given, and during winter only just sufficient to keep the stems plump, until they begin to throw up their flower spikes in March, when a little more may be supplied to assist the flowers in opening, and to secure finer blossoms.

They begin to grow after their flowering season is over, which is the best time for division if it is required, but it is best to avoid cutting this rare plant as much as possible, as sometimes the divided pieces will not succeed so well, especially if the plant is not strong and vigorous. When divided, place them in a shady, moist place until they get established; then they may be removed to a position more exposed to the light.

DENDROBIUM WARDIANUM GIGANTEUM.
[Plate 113.]
Native of Burmah.

Epiphytal. _Stems_ stout, pendulous, deciduous, attaining three feet
in length, knotty at the nodes. _Leaves_ oblong-lanceolate, attenuate
at the apex. _Racemes_ two or three flowered, issuing from the nodes
of the matured stems. _Flowers_ large and conspicuous from their
striking colours; _sepals_ oblong-lanceolate, bluntish, white tipped
with magenta-rose, the margins reflexed; _petals_ oblong-ovate,
obtuse, white more deeply tipped than the sepals; _lip_ cucullate, the
base folded over the column, the anterior portion ovate-obtuse,
recurved at the tip, entire, the surface covered with crystalline
processes, the colour golden yellow at the base with a pair of
maroon-crimson spots, the margin and middle portion creamy white, the
apex tipped like the petals with deep magenta; _spur_ short. _Column_
short, depressed, almost hidden in the base of the lip, the
anther-case white.

Dendrobium Wardianum, _R. Warner_, _Select Orchidaceous Plants_, ser.
i., t. 19; _Jennings’ Orchids_, t. 2; _L’Illustration Horticole_, ser.
3, t. 277; _Gardeners’ Chronicle_, N.S., viii, 241, fig. 50.

_Var._ GIGANTEUM.—Habit more vigorous and more erect than in the
ordinary form; stems stouter and less nodose, four to five feet long;
flowers larger, and of stouter substance, otherwise as in the type.

Dendrobium Wardianum giganteum, _Williams & Moore_, supra.

Dendrobium Wardianum Lowii, _Smith_, _Moral Magazine_, N.S., t. 212.

The flowers of the plant we now bring under the notice of our readers are of the most perfect form, of the richest colours, and also of very large size. It is altogether a stronger grower than the type of the species named in compliment to Dr. Ward, of Southampton, and of which a fine figure is published in Plate 19 of the first series of Warner’s _Select Orchidaceous Plants_. By a comparison of the two illustrations, it will be seen that the typical plant has much thinner and more tapering stems, and that the flowers are of a smaller size than in the variety now treated upon, though the colour and marking are equally brilliant in both. The larger form, _giganteum_, also comes from a different country, the smaller kind having been introduced from Assam, while the larger one comes from Burmah, which difference may account for the difference in their growth. Our sketch was taken from a plant in the collection of D’Alroy Salamon, Esq., of Clapham Park, where it has bloomed two years in succession. There is in cultivation a variety of _D. Wardianum_ with white flowers, which has been bloomed during the last two or three years from imported plants. It is quite interesting to find that in most of the principal genera white varieties are turning up to meet the growing taste for white forms of the different Orchids.

_Dendrobium Wardianum giganteum_ is a deciduous plant, sometimes producing growths four or five feet long, with somewhat knotty joints all up the stems. The foliage is of a bright green colour, and begins to fall off after it has completed its growth. The sepals and petals are white heavily tipped with deep magenta-rose, while the lip is of a deep orange-yellow at the base, with two blackish crimson blotches, the tip of the lip being bright magenta-rose. It blooms during the winter and spring months according to the time of the completion of its growth. We have seen it in bloom in the month of October, so by having a number of plants started at different periods, it might be had in bloom for many months, some of the plants being retarded by keeping them dry in a warm house—for it is not safe to put them into a cold house, as this often injures the growth for the following year.

The plants are best grown in baskets or pans suspended from the roof, where they get all the light, but just keeping them from the burning sun. We find rough fibrous peat with sphagnum moss and good drainage to suit them. They must be kept moist at the roots during the growing season, but when their growth is completed only just sufficient to keep the stems plump must be allowed them until they begin to show their flower buds: then give a little moisture at the roots, which will induce them to bloom finer, and to start into growth after their flowers are over. Sometimes they will start growing during the blooming season, and if so this should not be checked.

We find the East India house the most suitable one for them, or they will grow in any house where the heat is kept up during the growing season. When at rest less warmth will suffice. They must be kept free from insects. Sometimes the red spider and thrips will attack the leaves, but these may be kept under by syringing or using tobacco-smoke—the latter sparingly, as too much will be very injurious to the young growths.

Cattleya Trianæ formosa (Plate 108).—In the remarks on this Cattleya, instead of “the lip rich rose-magenta being beautifully frilled and edged with a lighter tint of the same colour. The flowers, which are two and a quarter inches in diameter, have the throat orange veined with a deeper orange, and are produced,” &c., read “the lip rich rose-magenta being beautifully frilled and edged with a lighter tint of the same colour, two and a quarter inches in diameter, the throat orange veined with deeper orange. The flowers are produced,” &c., &c.

TRICHOSMA SUAVIS.
[Plate 114.]
Native of the Khasya Mountains.

Epiphytal. _Stems_ thin, terete, tufted, from a short rhizome, with a
few sheathing verrucose scales at the base, the apex diphyllous.
_Leaves_ somewhat fleshy, broadly lanceolate acuminate, obsoletely
three-nerved, the base contracted into a sheathing petiole. _Flowers_
in short terminal racemes, fragrant; _sepals_ lanceolate, spreading,
the dorsal one free, the lateral ones somewhat broader, adnate at the
base with the foot of the column, so as to form a short chin, creamy
white; _petals_ erect, lanceolate, resembling the dorsal sepal, creamy
white; _lip_ articulated with the foot of the column, with a short
incumbent claw, the limb three-lobed, the side lobes plane striped
with brownish crimson, the middle one undulated, yellow spotted with
red and bearing five crispy lamellæ or crests, there being also four
such crests on the disk. _Column_ short, semiterete, marginate, the
anther-bell irregularly toothed at the edge, the anthers incumbent
affixed within the margin. _Pollen-masses_ eight.

Trichosma suavis, _Lindley_, _Botanical Register_, 1842, t. 21.

Cœlogyne coronaria, _Lindley_, _Botanical Register_, 1841, misc. 178.

Eria coronaria, _Reichenbach_, in _Walpers’ Annales Botanices
Systematicæ_, vi., 271.

The Orchid, of which we now submit a figure, is a very pretty free-growing species; it is also distinct from any other Orchid, and one well worthy a place in any collection. Almost every one who sees it in flower admires it, not, perhaps, so much for its showy character, as for its neat pleasing inflorescence and fragrant flowers. There are admirers of small flowered Orchids as well as of those with larger and more showy blossoms.

This _Trichosma_ has curious slender fleshy stems, scaly at the base, and surmounted by a pair of dark green three-nerved leaves from between which, at the top of this stem, the flower spike is produced, as will be seen from our figure. The inflorescence forms a short erect spike or raceme, bearing several very sweet-scented flowers, which have a pleasing appearance.

_Trichosma suavis_ grows about ten inches in height, and produces its blossoms very freely. The sepals and petals are of a creamy white colour, the lip profusely striped with purplish crimson and having a bright yellow crest.

This plant flowered with us in March, and continued for several weeks in bloom; but we have also seen it blossoming at different times of the year, according to the period of the completion of its growth. We find it does well grown in a pot with rough fibrous peat and good drainage, and when in vigorous growth it must be kept moderately moist at the roots. It should never be allowed to get dry as it has no thick fleshy bulbs on which to draw for support. We find it succeeds well in the Cattleya house, shaded from the burning sun during the summer season.

Dr. Paterson’s Orchids.—The charming locality of the Bridge of Allan has long been celebrated for this collection of Orchids. Dr. Paterson is an enthusiastic lover of this most noble family, for as he truly says, “There are no plants like them.” There are others of the same opinion, and we believe there is no class of plants that afford such an amount of pleasure and interest to the cultivator, for the more one gets acquainted with them, the more one finds to admire, in their bright colours and their infinite variety, the length of time they last in blossom, and their usefulness when cut; besides all this there is the interest of novelty attaching to them, many new species and varieties continually appearing. There are, in fact, no flowers to surpass them.

At Dr. Paterson’s there is always to be seen a grand display of Orchids. The way in which they are cultivated, and the order and cleanliness that surround them, seem to be made quite the study of their owner. No doubt cleanliness is one of the principal items in their successful cultivation. It is marvellous how this collection has sprung up since our visit in September of last year. Nearly all the best specimens had then been sold, many of them at high prices, and scattered in different directions; buyers came from far and near, as there were many unique specimens of fine species and select varieties. These were sold to make room for the young plants, which now bid fair to be as fine in a few years’ time, for they are at present making rapid strides. The East Indian kinds are in a specially flourishing condition. We noticed a vigorous plant of _Vanda Cathcartii_, three feet high, and the specimens of _Saccolabium_, _Aërides_, _Cattleya_, _Lælia_, _Vanda_, &c., are making fine growths. To enumerate the plants that are doing well would occupy too much of our limited space, but we cannot conclude this note without mentioning the cool Orchids, such as _Odontoglossum Pescatorei_, _O. Alexandræ_, and many other kinds, some in bloom, and others showing fine spikes and making good pseudobulbs. The specimens of _Masdevallia_ were making good progress. Next to these was _Oncidium Barkerii_, with its bright yellow flowers. The different kinds of _Pleione_ were also finely in bloom.

Visitors go from all parts to see this collection, Dr. Paterson being as pleased to show the plants as others are to see them. The Bridge of Allan is a charming spot situated among the Perthshire Hills, and is a place of healthful resort, especially in winter, as the climate is mild. It is within easy distance of the town of Stirling; it can also be reached from Glasgow and Edinburgh in very little time, and is well worthy a visit.—B. S. W.

CATTLEYA WHITEI.
[Plate 115.]
Native of Brazil.