Chapter V: Part 5

There were besides the foregoing many other Orchids in bloom. Amongst other things we were glad to see the _Lycastes_ accommodated with a very nice house, and making quite an attractive show. These most useful flowers were arranged on a central stage, and included several pure white forms which, intermixed with those of high colours, were remarkably effective.—B. S. W.

LÆLIA AMANDA.
[Plate 135.]
Native of Brazil.

Epiphytal. _Stems_ thin, fusiform, a foot to a foot and a half in
height, diphyllous, invested by a sheathing mucronulate scale.
_Leaves_ cuneate ligulate, bluntly acute, six to nine inches long,
coriaceous, of a light green. _Peduncles_ two flowered issuing from a
small narrow spathe. _Flowers_ five to six inches across, delicately
coloured; _sepals_ ligulate-oblong acute, entire, of a flesh-colour or
pinkish blush with purple veins, the dorsal one three inches long and
three-fourths of an inch wide, the lateral ones somewhat longer and
broader, slightly falcate-deflexed; _petals_ linear-oblong blunt,
three inches long, and an inch broad, of the same pinkish-blush or
pale rosy-lilac as the sepals, but more distinctly veined; _lip_ three
inches long, rosy lilac, marked by longitudinal veins, with a
cordiform base, three-lobed, the lateral lobes folded over the column
and about twice its length, the front edge rounded and slightly wavy
the middle lobe projecting an inch and a half, roundish-oblong,
obtuse, apiculate, prettily veined with magenta, the few strongish
central veins parallel, the rest divergent and variously netted, the
tip paler, the veins continued through to the margin which is
crispulate. _Column_ decurved, semiterete, winged, magenta except
about the stigmatic hollow which is white, the apex toothed.

Lælia amanda, _Reichenbach fil._, in _Gardeners’ Chronicle_, N.S.,
xviii., 776.

Cattleya Rothschildiana, _of some gardens_.

We are pleased to be able to figure and describe such a distinct species of _Lælia_ as the subject of our present plate, which forms quite a new type in the genus. It produces very chaste looking flowers, and is decidedly novel in the style of marking of its lip. There have been many new varieties of the _L. elegans_ and _L. anceps_ type introduced of late, but few have proved so good as those obtained many years before: for example, of the forms of white _anceps_, none are so good as _L. anceps Dawsoni_; and of the _elegans_ type, there are none to surpass _L. elegans alba_ and the dark _L. elegans Turneri_, and other beautiful sorts which might be named. Our drawing shows quite a distinct and novel form as compared with these, and was taken from a plant in the fine collection of W. E. Brymer, Esq., M.P., Ilsington House, Dorchester. There are many fine Orchids included in Mr. Brymer’s collection.

_Lælia amanda_ is an evergreen species, with pseudobulbs attaining about eighteen inches in height, and light green leaves. The flowers are produced in upright spikes, the sepals and petals being of a pale tint of rosy lilac, the lip bright rose with lilac, veined with brighter rosy-purple. It blooms during the autumn, and according to Mr. Powell, Mr. Brymer’s gardener, lasts for six weeks in beauty. It is a free growing species, but like the forms of _L. elegans_ requires good cultivation.

We find this kind does well either in a pot or basket. It should have good drainage, and be grown in rough fibrous peat with lumps of charcoal intermixed to keep the soil open, thus allowing the roots to run over it and cling to the lumpy peat and charcoal. We find all this class of _Lælias_ to thrive best elevated well above the pot or basket in which they are grown; the roots then come down more freely, and can go either into the compost or outside of it as they like, though in most cases it will be found that they prefer the outside; and to us it appears very delightful to see the fresh roots in this way enjoying the atmosphere of the house in which they are cultivated. They do the same in their native country, clinging to the trees, rocks, or any other firm substance on which they can lay hold. By growing them here as we have indicated, above the pot rim, the water passes off and most of the roots enjoy what is natural to them. They require a good amount of moisture when in vigorous growth, but should never be kept too wet, as this causes the soil to become soddened, and in this way are brought about the many failures that we hear of. Some cultivators imagine that because a plant is in vigorous health and growing freely nothing can hurt it, but this is a mistaken idea, as that really is the time during which they require more than ordinary care and attention. On the other hand, if the plants have become matured they will most probably suffer for it afterwards by the rotting of the young growth. When kept too wet the plants often become too sappy, and then after the growth is matured the cultivator may be startled to find the stems and foliage turning black and rotting away—a state of things which may frequently be attributed and often traced to over-watering. Before proceeding to water plants their requirements should be studied. Orchids require much forethought in reference to their treatment, especially as regards the temperature of the house compared with that of the atmosphere outside, the time of year making a considerable difference, as does the condition of the plants. All this has to be considered in reference to the treatment about to be bestowed upon them. There is no doubt that Orchids, when understood, are as easily cultivated as other plants, and some kinds more so, but on the other hand some require extra care and judicious management as regards light, air, potting material, and water; and unless a grower has some idea what his particular plants require he will most likely meet with failures. This is indeed sometimes the case with those who do know all the various requirements of particular subjects, but there is no doubt that where the treatment of a plant is well studied, a less amount of failure will be experienced. If a plant will not succeed in one part of a house, try it in another, and when a suitable spot is found let it remain them.

We find _Lælias_ like to be as near the light as possible, and they will thrive well in pots or baskets suspended from the roof, so that their roots can throw themselves out where they please. They might indeed all be grown in baskets if preferred.

CYPRIPEDIUM CALURUM.
[Plate 136.]
A Garden Hybrid.

Epiphytal. Acaulescent. _Leaves_ spreading, tufted, ensiform,
channelled especially towards the base, tapered to the apex, one and a
quarter inch wide, green. _Scape_ of a brownish-red colour, tall,
branched, bearing several flowers, with longish ovate-lanceolate
boat-shaped bracts at the ramifications. _Flowers_ large and handsome,
five inches in lateral, three and a half inches in vertical expansion;
_dorsal sepal_ oblong ovate bluntish, pale watery green with several
longitudinal purplish and darker green intermediate ribs, slightly
flushed with red, the purple tint stronger on the glossy exterior,
which is olive green, the extreme edge white; _lower sepal_ broad
ovate, half as long as the lip; _petals_ two and a half inches long,
over half an inch broad at the base, narrowing to the apex, pale
greenish white in the centre with an edge of wine-red one-eighth of an
inch wide which meets towards the end so that the apex is wholly
wine-red, the colour deeper and glossy outside with the central parts
olive, the inside covered over with pellucid hairs, those on the lower
half near the base longer and purplish; _lip_ bold, oblong obtuse,
nearly two inches long, the pouch deep wine-purple in front, paler
behind, the sides deeply inflexed and with a roundish projecting lobe
at the front angle of the aperture, greenish or creamy white with a
few irregular purple spots, the inside of the pouch more distinctly
spotted. _Staminode_ greenish white clothed with short stiff hairs,
transversely oblong or reniform with an apiculus and having a fringe
of short dark purple hairs on the front margin, the sterile lobe
roundish, fleshy, greenish white, hairy.

Cypripedium calurum, _Reichenbach fil._, in _Gardeners’ Chronicle_,
N.S., xv. 41.

The class of hybrid _Cypripediums_ is becoming a numerous one, and some of the novelties are very distinct and beautiful, for although it may be difficult to beat the original types, yet in some cases they are superseded as regards colour, shape or form. We are greatly indebted to the Messrs. Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea, and others, for the good they have done in taking up the fertilisation of Orchids, and in raising the different forms which have appeared. The Lady’s Slippers are amongst the easiest of Orchids to fertilize, and the plants likewise take less time than any others of the family to attain the flowering stage. We trust the hydridisers will continue their good work, as there is yet such an abundance of choice materials to work upon, both as regards form and colour, and that by careful selection some wonderful changes may yet be wrought. We admit that a great deal has been accomplished, but there is yet a large field remaining unoccupied for those who feel disposed to take an interest in this most important and pleasing work.

The class of Orchids to which our present subject belongs, is one of the most useful for the decoration of our Orchid houses and exhibition tables, as they are free growing and profuse blooming plants, the flowers being also of long duration. _Cypripedium calurum_ of which we now present our readers with a portrait is a continuous flowering variety, for as soon as one blossom dies off another appears, and so on until the spike has exhausted itself; and then when the new growths are made, fresh flower spikes appear, after the manner of _C. Sedenii_. It is a hybrid between _C. longifolium_ and _C. Sedenii_, the latter itself being a hybrid between _C. longifolium_ and _C. Schlimii_, and was raised by the Messrs. Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea, to whom we are indebted for the opportunity of preparing our drawing, and who have a most wonderful lot of these beautiful hybrid Cypripediums, some others of which we hope to figure in due time.

_Cypripedium calurum_ is an evergreen species of graceful habit, with long arching bright green foliage. The flower spikes are branched, several flowers appearing at the same time. They are large and handsomely coloured, the dorsal sepal reddish-green striped with pale purplish-crimson, the petals also pale crimson darkening towards the tip to a rich crimson, and having one green vein down the centre; the exterior of the lip is deep crimson, the inside greenish white, spotted with dull purplish-crimson. Each flower lasts for several weeks in perfection.

We find this plant does well grown in pots with rough fibrous peat or fibrous loam mixed with some leaf soil, and good drainage. It requires a moderate supply of water during the growing and flowering season. In fact, these plants may be said to be always growing and blooming, so that they should always be kept moist at the roots, as they have no succulent pseudobulbs to support them. We grow this plant at the cool end of the East India house with other Cypripediums, but it will thrive well in any ordinary stove. It is propagated by dividing the plant when there are several growths; this operation we find it best to perform just as the new growths begin to appear.

Odontoglossum sceptrum.—We feel great pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of a very fine spike of _Odontoglossum sceptrum_, from the collection of W. McDonald, Esq., Woodlands, Perth. The panicle was eighteen inches in length, and bore seventeen perfectly formed flowers. It must have been cut from a well grown specimen. The sepals were large, of a deep chocolate-brown, streaked and margined with yellow; the petals were irregularly lobed at the edge, yellow, blotched with the same colour as the sepals; and the lip was yellow with chocolate-brown on the front part. This is a fine cool-house Orchid, and a native of New Grenada.—B. S. W.

ONCIDIUM TIGRINUM.
[Plate 137.]
Native of Mexico.

Epiphytal. _Pseudobulbs_ ovate, compressed, blunt-edged, two or
three-leaved, three inches in length. _Leaves_ oblong-lanceolate
acute, leathery in texture, folded and sheathing at the base. _Scape_
radical, two feet long, bearing a panicle of numerous showy blossoms.
_Flowers_ distinct in character from the marked contrast presented
between the small tiger-striped sepals and petals, and the ample
bright yellow lip, having a delicious odour of violets; _sepals_
linear-oblong acute, wavy and revolute at the margins, the lateral
ones curving upwards laterally, so that they all stand above the base
of the lip, the colour yellowish green, heavily blotched with
transverse bands of dark chestnut-brown; _petals_ similar to the
sepals in form and colour, curving upwards laterally like the lateral
sepals; _lip_ three-lobed, of a pure chrome yellow, paler on the outer
side; the lateral lobes oblong with rounded angles, almost
semicircular, entire, flat; the middle lobe large, about an inch in
depth, and one and three-quarters inch in breadth, transversely
oblong-reniform, emarginate, apiculate, with a distinct basal isthmus
on which is seated a furrowed ridge or crest, one-eighth of an inch
high, having a three-lobed tubercle in front. _Column_ short, yellow,
with two lateral oblong hatchet-shaped wings.

Oncidium tigrinum, _Llave et Lexarza_, _Novorum Vegetabilium
Descriptiones_, fasc. 2, 36; _Lindley_, _Genera and Species of
Orchidaceous Plants_, 203; _Id._ _Folia Orchidacea_, Oncidium, No.
157; _Reichenbach fil._, in _Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematicæ_,
vi., 794.

Oncidium Barkeri, _Lindley_, _Botanical Register_, 1841, Misc. 174;
_Id._ _Sertum Orchidaceum_, t. 48; _L’Illustration Horticole_, t. 2;
_Paxton’s Magazine of Botany_, xiv., 97.

_Oncidium tigrinum_ is one of the most beautiful and distinct of the many yellow-flowered species of Oncids. It is a free-growing and free-blooming species, of compact growth, with a moderate-sized branching spike, and flowers of long duration. It blooms at a time, in autumn, when Orchid flowers are most welcome. Another good quality of this plant is, that it will thrive well in the cool house, with Odontoglots, the bright colour of its blossoms proving to be extremely effective among the white flowers of _O. Alexandræ_. It grows about the same size as that plant, and has good evergreen foliage, which is a great attraction in any plant, and helps to show the flowers off to advantage. Our drawing, which was taken from a specimen grown in the Victoria Nursery, represents one of the best forms we have seen. There are smaller varieties of this species, but they are all worth cultivating on account of their showy colours. This was, at one time, a rare plant, but latterly our collectors have been able to import it more freely.

_Oncidium tigrinum_ is, as we have remarked, an evergreen species, with dark brownish green pseudobulbs, about three inches in height; and usually produces two leaves, about a foot in length, of a lively green colour, and a branching spike growing two feet long, and furnished with many handsome blossoms—the sepals and petals of which are greenish yellow, spotted and barred with brown, and the lip is bright yellow. It blooms during the autumn and winter seasons, and continues in bloom for six weeks. We grew this plant many years ago under the name of _O. Barkeri_; it was very rare at that time, and we grew it with the Cattleyas, but we have found since, that it succeeds well in the Odontoglossum house. Since the plants may be bought at a cheap rate, many duplicates of this species should be grown, for its brilliant golden flowers produce a grand effect among the white and delicate tints of _O. Alexandræ_. The yellow colour is required for contrast, and their spikes being similar in habit of growth, they associate well together.

We find the best material to grow them in is rough fibrous peat, with good drainage, which should be thus applied:—fill the pots three-parts full of broken crocks and charcoal mixed together; add a few lumps of charcoal to the peat, which helps to keep it open, moreover, the roots of the plant like to cling to it; let the plant be elevated on this material three inches above the pot rim, from which the roots will be delighted to run down, and can either go inside or work over the material, which should always be kept sweet and not allowed to stagnate. The plant is easy of cultivation if its requirements are attended to. It must be kept moist during the growing season, not, however, continually soaked with water, but just sufficient being given to keep the plant in vigorous state of growth. When the growth is completed, give just enough water to keep the pseudobulbs and foliage in a good plump state.

LÆLIA ALBIDA.
[Plate 138.]
Native of Mexico.

Epiphytal. _Pseudobulbs_ ovate, clustered, about the size of pigeon’s
eggs, becoming furrowed in age, marked about the middle by a
transverse ring or scar, diphyllous. _Leaves_ narrow lanceolate acute,
somewhat leathery, of a deep green colour. _Scape_ terminal, slender,
two or three times as long as the leaves, bearing a raceme of five to
eight flowers, and furnished with rigid sessile ovate bracts.
_Flowers_ white, powerfully sweet-scented, with an odour resembling
that of the glandular leaves of the Chinese Primrose, but having a
honey-like sweetness superadded, rather small as compared with other
species of the genus, being a little over two inches in expanse in
each direction; _sepals_ oblong-lanceolate acute, spreading, plane,
mucronulate, ivory white; _petals_ oblong ovate, subundulate, rather
shorter than the sepals, recurved at the tip, mucronulate, also of an
ivory white; _lip_ obovate, three-lobed, the lateral lobes obtuse, of
a rosy hue externally, inside veined with red-pink, erect, that is
folded up against the column, the middle lobe roundish-oblong obtuse,
obscurely apiculate, recurved, slightly tinted with rose; disk with
three yellow crests running out in the front lobe into a pale red bar
or central line, with rosy veins on each side which give a faint rosy
tint to the surface, the two lateral crests yellow spotted with dark
reddish-purple. _Column_ elongate, glabrous, crimson-purple on the
inner face.

Lælia albida, _Bateman_, in _Botanical Register_, 1839, misc. 4;
_Lindley_, _Botanical Register_, 1839. t. 54; _Hooker_, _Botanical
Magazine_, t. 3957.

Bletia albida, _Reichenbach fil._, in _Walpers’ Annales Botanices
Systematicæ_, vi., 428.

In _Lælia albida_ we introduce to the notice of our readers a very pretty small-growing Orchid, which produces good useful flower spikes according to the vigour of the pseudobulbs, and which should therefore be grown in every collection. It blooms during the autumn months, and is a plant of quite a distinct character. We have many large-flowered grand species of this genus unsurpassed by any other Orchids, but the smaller growing kinds come in very useful where space is an object, and can be grown suspended from the roof, or on back wall of the house provided they get plenty of light and air, which they require in order to enable them to grow vigorously and flower freely. We are indebted to Herbert J. Adams, Esq., Roseneath, Enfield, for the specimen from which our drawing was taken, and which had been very successfully grown in his collection.

_Lælia albida_ is an evergreen plant, and of compact-growing habit, as will be seen from the accompanying figure. It produces its flower scapes from the top of the pseudobulb after the growth is completed, and the spikes assume a drooping character. The sepals and petals are white, the lip being rose-purple. It blooms in December and January and lasts for three weeks in beauty. There are several varieties of it, varying in the colour of the lip and the size of the flower.

These plants, we find, do well on a block of wood, or in a basket suspended from the roof of the Mexican house, with as little shade as possible, and they require a good supply of water in the growing season. If grown on blocks they require syringing every day during their season of growth—sometimes twice a day, morning and afternoon, according to the weather and the state of the atmosphere of the house in which they are grown. A great deal depends upon this point. It is a good plan to take the blocks and soak them in water until the blocks and roots are thoroughly saturated, and when this is done they will not require syringing so often. If grown in baskets with rough fibrous peat or sphagnum moss, they must be well drained by mixing a few pieces of charcoal with the peat. They will also succeed well in the warmest end of the Odontoglossum house.

Mr. May, the gardener at Roseneath, is very successful in cultivating these _Lælias_, and they well repay all the attention that is given them. The plants must be kept from insects; they are subject to the white scale, which can easily be kept under when taken in time. Whenever a plant shows signs of insects, let them be at once eradicated, as delays are dangerous, and through procrastination much mischief may be done before the remedy is applied.

Dendrobium crassinode Barberianum.—We have received a noble example of this very fine Orchid from W. Turner, Esq., Over Hall, Winsford, Cheshire. The stem bore twenty-four flowers of large size, and the specimen from which it was cut was the best-grown plant we have seen. It had sixteen bulbs, averaging from eighteen inches to two feet in length, all in full bloom at one time, and presented a most glorious spectacle. The sepals and petals are of a beautiful clear white, tipped with rich purple, and the lip is white with a deep orange blotch at the base. We are pleased to be able to mention Mr. W. Turner’s name in association with so grand a plant, for he has been well known for many years as one of the oldest of our Orchid growers.—B. S. W.

ARUNDINA BAMBUSÆFOLIA.
[Plate 139.]
Native of India: Nepal, Sylhet, Burmah, etc.

Terrestrial. _Stems_ erect, terete, striate, with the habit of a small
bamboo, three to five feet high, as thick as a stout quill or one’s
little finger, polyphyllous. _Leaves_ a span to a foot in length,
distant, distichous, ensiform, with the base sheathing the stem, and
the apex attenuated, erect and spreading, the upper ones on the
flowering stems reduced to sheathing bracts, which are numerous,
short, ovate acute, spreading at the tips, so that the _peduncles_ are
ochreate, of a whitish green, and terminate in a spike, sometimes
branched, of several showy blossoms. _Flowers_ large and effective,
measuring about two and a half inches across; _sepals_ narrow
lanceolate, entire, the dorsal one erect, the two lateral ones
sub-parallel, directed downwards, of a pale pink colour; _petals_
ovate, plane, spreading laterally, of a deeper pink than the sepals,
with a rose-pink stripe down the centre; _lip_ three-lobed, the
lateral segments rolled over the column, pink, abruptly abbreviated in
front, where they are recurved and deeper in colour; middle segment
larger, bipartite, the divisions bluntly obovate-oblong, divaricate
and crisped, of a magenta-rose, the throat white in the lower part,
marked with white lines on each side, the disk bearing two fleshy
undulated lamellæ or crests, and a third shorter straight one between
them. _Column_ clavate, semi-terete, lying parallel with the lip.

Arundina bambusæfolia, _Lindley_, in _Wallich’s Catalogue_, No. 3751;
_Id._ _Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants_, 125; _Griffith_,
_Notulæ ad Plantas Asiaticas_, iii., 329, t. 314; _Wight_, _Icones
Plantarum Indiæ Orientalis_, v., t. 1661; _Reichenbach fil._, in
_Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematicæ_, vi., 457.

Cymbidium bambusifolium, _Roxburgh_, _Hortus Bengalensis_, 63.

Bletia graminifolia, _Don_, _Prodromus Floræ Nepalensis_, 29.

The plant we now introduce to the notice of our readers is very distinct from the ordinary types of Orchids, and is remarkable for its reed-like stems, and its very charming and beautiful blossoms. Its habit is to keep flowering in succession for a long period. When better known it will be much sought after; at present there are but few plants in cultivation, at least very few have come under our notice. There exist several varieties which vary in the colouring of their flowers; that which we now figure being a very good type. We are indebted to T. D. Cunningham Graham, Esq., Dunlop House, Stewarton, Ayrshire, for his kindness in sending the specimens for the use of our artist. A description of the Orchids at Dunlop House will be found under plate 118 of our present volume.

_Arundina bambusæfolia_ is an evergreen plant, with reed-like or bamboo-like stems, bearing foliage of a light green colour; the sepals and petals are pale magenta-rose, the lip rich rose shaded with magenta. It grows, in its natural state, from three to five feet in height, and produces its flowers from the top of the stems about July, continuing to bloom for some time during the summer and autumn months. Mr. Kemp, the gardener at Dunlop House, thinks it a most useful plant.

We find this Orchid to do best when grown in a pot, with good drainage. The material most suited to it is good rough fibrous peat and loam mixed together. It is a free-rooting species, but has no thick fleshy bulbs from which to draw support. These Orchids which have these reed-like stems require to be potted in a richer soil than others; they grow after the manner of the _Sobralia_, and require similar treatment, that is, the treatment of the cool end of the East India house, with a good supply of water during the growing season, and to have the soil kept moderately moist when at rest; the plants need plenty of light, but should be shaded from the rays of the burning sun.

They must be kept free from insects, or the thrips will soon injure their foliage. They are propagated by dividing the crowns, and they also produce plants on the stems, which can be taken off and potted when they have formed roots. We saw some fine plants of this Orchid in the collection of W. Lee, Esq., of Leatherhead, which were producing shoots in this way quite freely, and these being taken off, soon formed young established plants.

Phaius tuberculosus (for figure, see plate 91 of our second volume.)—We are much pleased to be able to again record the flowering of this plant in the collection of A. Sillem, Esq., Laurie Park, Sydenham. It is generally considered a most difficult plant to cultivate, but here it grows most luxuriantly, no less than four spikes having been produced on three plants last February, all of which were distinct varieties. Mr. Billiard, the gardener, seems to have hit upon a plan of cultivation that suits this plant admirably, and great credit is due to him for his perseverance in the matter. We were so much interested in this successful treatment that we paid a visit to this collection to ascertain the mode of procedure, and Mr. Billiard was kind enough to give us the result of his experience, which we here reproduce for the benefit of our readers. “Our plants,” he writes, “have been grown on the northeast side of a sun-roofed house, close to the glass, in a temperature from 65° to 70°. We keep the sun from them as much as possible. They are potted in equal parts of peat and moss, with a small quantity of sharp sand, and plenty of crocks and charcoal as drainage. When making their growth they delight in an abundance of moisture at the roots. We find it necessary to sponge them weekly, as red spider, thrips and green fly are particularly fond of these plants. This year from three plants we have four spikes, which have opened twenty-three flowers; last year the same plants had one spike each, which gave us eighteen flowers in all.”—B. S. W.

CYMBIDIUM AFFINE.
[Plate 140.]
Native of Assam and Khasya.

Epiphytal. _Acaulescent_, with thick fleshy roots, forming a short
rootstock, from which dense tufts of graceful erectly spreading
foliage is produced. _Leaves_ distichous, erecto-patent, elongate,
linear lorate, acute, channeled, three-fourths of an inch broad, dark
green. _Scape_ stout, green, having just beneath the inflorescence two
or three loosely sheathing leafy bracts; _raceme_ six to
eight-flowered, decurved, terminal, each flower having a short ovate
acute bract at the base of its pale green pedicel. _Flowers_ about two
and a half inches broad, and as much in depth, ivory-white, with a
pleasant scent of almonds; _sepals_ linear-oblong, somewhat broader
upwards, acute, half an inch broad, the dorsal one incurved, and
arching forwards over the lip, the lateral ones two inches long,
somewhat widened at the base and apex, the rounded bases united with
the base of the lip, to form a short blunt chin; _petals_ linear,
about as long as the sepals, but distinctly narrower, one-fourth of an
inch wide, acute; _lip_ three-lobed, saccate at the base, the side
lobes folded close to the column, the front edge produced rounded and
slightly spreading, spotted, as is also the mouth of the tube, with
pale magenta, the front lobe hairy, half an inch long, with a narrowed
claw-like base, ovate, with a wavy margin, white, with a central
straight oblong, and lateral divergent blotches of magenta, the
central one continued into a yellowish streak, which is produced
backwards to the deeper yellow crest of two abruptly elevated
papillose plates, which are further continued into two yellow lines.
_Column_ white, one and a half inch long, curved, winged.

Cymbidium affine, _Griffith_, _Notulæ ad Platas Asiaticas_, iii., 336,
t. 291; according to _Lindley_, _Contributions to the Orchidology of
India_, in _Journal of Linnean Society_, iii., 28; _Reichenbach fil._,
in _Gardeners’ Chronicle_, N.S., x., 810; _Floral Magazine_, t. 346.

Cymbidium micromesum, _Lindley_, _Journal of Linnean Society_, iii.,
29, _fide Reichenbach_.

_Cymbidium_, though a small genus of Orchids, contains within its limits some beautiful species, varying considerably in colour; indeed, most of them are worth growing. That which we now illustrate is a very chaste and pretty species, and is still quite rare; very few plants having come under our notice. We received the grand specimen here figured from the fine collection of G. Nevile Wyatt, Esq., Lake House, Cheltenham, who takes a great interest in the cultivation of good Orchids, and from whom at different times we have received some fine cut specimens, especially of the forms of _Cattleya Trianæ_.

_Cymbidium affine_ is an evergreen species, which in its growth resembles _C. Mastersii_ and _C. eburneum_, but the leaves are somewhat broader. It has dark green graceful foliage, and tall, erect scapes, from which the drooping flower racemes depend. The sepals and petals are of an ivory white, and the lip is white, spotted with dull magenta-purple. The plant blooms during the autumn months, and continues in flower for several weeks if the blossoms are kept dry. It will be found to be a most useful plant for decorative purposes, as its blossoms are so beautifully developed along with its graceful green foliage.

This class of plants is well cultivated by Mr. Simcoe, the gardener at Lake House, who grows them as we do, in pots, with good drainage. We have found them to do best in good fibrous loam, as they have thick fleshy roots to support, and experience has convinced us that they require something stronger than peat to feed upon, and consequently we have substituted loam for peat, but it must have some charcoal mixed with it so that the soil may be kept open, which is quite essential for the plants; they require a good supply of water in the growing season, and when the soil is kept porous and open the water passes off readily, and does not stagnate, which is deleterious to all plants. When the growth is completed, less water will suffice, but just enough should be supplied to keep the soil damp, for their thick fleshy roots always require to be in a fresh plump condition, and in a state of growth.

We find these _Cymbidiums_ thrive well in the Cattleya house, kept as fully exposed to the light as possible, but shaded from the sun, for if in the warm summer months the sun is allowed to shine upon them their foliage is apt to sustain injury. When the sun is on the decline it will do them no harm, and the early morning sun will be beneficial to them; the foliage must, however, never be allowed to be wet when the sun comes upon the plants, or it will most probably become spotted.

The Cattleyas at Downside (continued from plate 134).—The Cattleya house at Downside, when we saw it a few weeks ego, presented a most magnificent picture, there being at the time several hundred expanded flowers of _C. Trianæ_, distributed over the whole length of a house one hundred feet long, and showing a variety of colouring, which thus displayed amongst the green foliage was truly marvellous. This collection comprises some of the best kinds in cultivation. It would take too much space to describe them here, but we hope to illustrate some of the most striking among them in our subsequent volumes.

DENDROBIUM LINAWIANUM.
[Plate 141.]
Native of China.

Epiphytal. _Stems_ erect, club shaped, somewhat flattened, light
green, one to two feet high, retaining the leaves for two years, when
mature becoming deeply furrowed and swollen below the nodes, the
internodes partially sheathed by the withered bases of the leaves: it
is these tumid internodes which give the appearance of a necklace,
whence the name _moniliforme_ came to be applied, though erroneously,
to the plant. _Leaves_ distichous, oblong obtuse, obliquely
emarginate, pea-green. _Peduncles_ from the axils of the leaves of the
two-year old stems, or from the joints whence the leaves have fallen,
two to three flowered, with small acute appressed bracts. _Flowers_
bright coloured and pleasing, three inches across; _sepals_ oblong
acute, venose, their base produced into a blunt striated spur, white
below and of a bright rosy pink in the upper half; _petals_ ovate, of
the same colour as the sepals; _lip_ ovate, cucullate, reflexed,
obscurely three-lobed, attenuated at the base, and serrulate on the
margin, with an elevated pubescent crest along the disk, white below,
having two crimson spots about the centre, the apical portion wholly
rich magenta-crimson. _Column_ short, the lip articulated at the end
of its prolonged base.

Dendrobium Linawianum, _Reichenbach fil._ _MS._; _Id._, _Walpers’
Annales Botanices Systematicæ_, vi., 284.

Dendrobium moniliforme, _Lindley_, _Botanical Register_, t. 1314, non
_Swartz_; _Hooker_, _Botanical Magazine_, t. 4153; _Paxton_, _Magazine
of Botany_, iii., 77; _Maund_, _Botanist_, iv., t. 194; _Annales de
Gand_, 1847, t. 137.

This _Dendrobium Linawianum_ is a very old inhabitant of our Orchid houses, and a most distinct and beautiful kind; it is better known, however, under the name of _D. moniliforme_, which was formerly applied to it in error, but which it will no doubt long retain. Amongst the older race of Orchid cultivators, we used to exhibit it under the name of _D. moniliforme_ at the Chiswick and Regent’s Park Exhibitions, where it was shown in the form of large specimen plants, and formed one of the prettiest and most distinct looking Orchids in the show. Although amongst the numerous novelties, which have since been introduced, there have been many which produce splendid flowers as regards size, form, and colour, there has been one only that is at all similar to the present species, and that, which Professor Reichenbach has named _D. nobile formosanum_, and which is very much like _D. Linawianum_ both in its growth and in its flowers, we imported about two years ago from the Island of Formosa. The drawing, of our present subject, was taken from a remarkably fine specimen grown in the collection of G. W. Law-Schofield, Esq., New-Hall-Hey, Rawtenstall, near Manchester; the specimen was about two feet high and as much through, and was one mass of blossoms. Mr. Wise, the gardener, tells us it has flowered in this way for several years; and we may safely say that it is one of the best grown plants that have yet come under our notice.

_Dendrobium Linawianum_ is an evergreen species with flattish club-shaped stems, which are of a light green colour, and remarkable for becoming swollen just beneath the nodes. The leaves are of a pea-green colour, and the flowers are borne on the stems of the second year, in twos or threes at every node. The sepals and petals are white at the base, and bright rosy pink in the upper half, while the lip is white, beautifully tipped with bright magenta-crimson. The flowers are produced during the winter and spring months, and last in perfection for two or three weeks. It may be had in flower much later by retarding the plant after it has finished its growth.

The present is a free-growing species if the plant is in good health. It begins to grow when the flowering is over, and this is the best time for repotting if the plant requires it; but care must be taken not to over pot it, as this is dangerous in some cases, especially if the soil should get into a bad state, for then the roots go rotten, and the plant becomes sickly. If this should happen, shake away all the soil from the roots and wash them well, afterwards repotting the plant in as small a pot as the roots will allow; the fresh roots will then begin to work about the new soil. Good drainage must always be given; and the plant must be well elevated above the rim of the pot. The most suitable potting material is good rough fibrous peat mixed with lumps of charcoal, which will keep the soil open, and allow the water to pass off freely. Over watering is dangerous, but the plants require to be kept moderately moist at the roots during the growing season. To avoid risk from excess of water, the pots should be three parts full of drainage material. When the growth is completed, give sufficient water to keep the stems plump until they show signs of flowering; then give a little once or twice a week, the quantity and frequency of the application depending mainly on the nature of the potting material; if it be rough and porous, the plant will require it, and a slight syringing over the soil and among the roots during a warm day, will also be beneficial.

We grow our plants at the cool end of the East Indian house, giving them plenty of light, and no more shade than is necessary to keep the foliage from burning. Light is the grand agent in ripening the stems; and it is thorough ripeness which induces them to make vigorous growth, and to develope their flowers freely.

Propagation is effected by dividing the stems just as they begin to start into growth, leaving two or three old bulbs at the back of the new one. It is the better plan to cut them a short time before they are parted; and this should be done with great care. After dividing, place them each in a small pot, with good drainage, and similar potting material to that previously recommended. They thrive well in sphagnum moss, but we prefer the peat.

ZYGOPETALUM BURKEI.
[Plate 142.]
Native of Demerara.

Epiphytal. _Pseudobulbs_ clustered, narrow oblong, over two inches
long, erect, shining, tetragonal, the surface furrowed, diphyllous.
_Leaves_ elongate-lanceolate acuminate, nervose, somewhat leathery in
consistence. _Scape_ radical, pale green, bearing a raceme of four or
five flowers, furnished with ovate pale green bracts at the base of
the pedicels. _Flowers_ about two inches across, of a peculiar and
distinctive character; _sepals_ ovate-lanceolate, the lateral ones
deflexed, bright green, with about seven wavy close-set longitudinal
bands of dark umber-brown, the bars having a tendency to break up into
lines of spots, wholly green outside; _petals_ spreading, of the same
form and colour as the sepals; _lip_ unguiculate, auricled on both
sides in front of the claw, obovate with a broad rounded apex,
undulated margin, and furnished behind the disk with a callus or ruff
of thirteen crimson plaits or ribs. _Column_ thick, greenish, galeate,
with two projecting linear auricles.

Zygopetalum Burkei, _Reichenbach fil._, in _Gardeners’ Chronicle_,
N.S., xx., 684.

This new species is a very pretty free-blooming plant. It belongs to a genus that is well known to plant growers, and amongst the species of which there are some grand decorative plants; indeed, we generally find some of these plants wherever there is a stove, even if Orchids generally are not professed to be grown. _Zygopetalum Mackayi_, _Z. maxillare_, and _Z. Gautieri_, are the most useful. Of late some new hybrids have been introduced, namely, _Z. Sedeni_ and _Z. Clayi_, which latter will be found figured at Plate 50 of our second volume. The species now under notice was introduced by the Messrs. Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea; and in their fine collection it bloomed last November, and was exhibited at South Kensington, gaining a First Class Certificate. It will be found to be a most useful species for general cultivation. We believe Messrs. Veitch’s to be the only plant that has yet flowered in this country.

_Zygopetalum Burkei_ is a native of Demerara, and was found, it appears, by Sir Robert Schomburgk some forty years since, but had not been introduced until recently sent home by Messrs. Veitch’s collector, Mr. Burke, after whom it is named. It is an evergreen species, with long narrow erect ribbed four-cornered pseudobulbs, and light green foliage; the sepals and petals are green, spotted and barred with brown, and the lip is white, with a crest of crimson stripes on ribs. It blooms during the autumn months and lasts for several weeks in bloom.

The East India house is the most suitable place in which to cultivate it, for most of the species of _Zygopetalum_ like the temperature therein maintained, and, indeed, they thrive well in any warm stove. This new species will no doubt require as a root medium the same material as the rest of the genus, that is, rough fibrous peat and loam. As they generally have thick fleshy roots, they require an abundant supply of moisture during the growing season; but of course a less liberal supply will suffice after the growth has been completed, when the ripening process comes on.

A Wonderful Dendrobium.—Mr. Blend, gardener to S. K. Mainwaring, Esq., Otley Park, Shrewsbury, has recently flowered a grand specimen of the old and beautiful _Dendrobium Paxtoni_. The plant is in a 15-inch pot, has 74 growths, and produced 123 flower spikes, containing in all 1,216 flowers. The longest growth on the plant measures as much as four feet six inches. This plant is a marvel of cultivation, and we are much pleased to be able to record such a splendid example of Orchid management—B. S. W.

Odontoglossum mulus.—D. Tod, Esq., Eastwood Park, Thorliebank, by Glasgow, has sent in flowers of a fine variety of _Odontoglossum mulus_, which bloomed with him last April. The spike, Mr. Tod informs us, bore sixteen flowers, and although this is no great number for _O. mulus_, which generally comes with a large branched panicle, it must have been a fine sight, as the flowers of Mr. Tod’s variety are not only very large, but very brightly coloured.—B. S. W.

A Gigantic Orchid.—Messrs. F. Sander & Co., of St. Albans, have lately received an enormous specimen of _Cattleya Skinneri_, certainly the largest mass of an Orchid ever imported. The plant was found growing in the crown of a tree, near Cartago, in Costa Rica, where it was originally planted in a garden belonging to a native, by whom it has since been cultivated, so that although this plant has been found in its native habitat, it is, nevertheless, a cultivated specimen. This plant has long been known to botanical travellers, Skinner, Roezl, and others having seen it in flower. It is stated to have produced, at one time, over 1,500 flowers. Its dimensions are six feet in height by seven feet in diameter; its weight about twelve hundredweight. We understand Mr. Sander is about erecting a house for its reception, where we suppose it will figure as a _piece de resistance_ of the establishment.—H. W.

CŒLOGYNE BARBATA.
[Plate 143.]
Native of India: Bhothan, Khasya, &c.

Epiphytal. _Pseudobulbs_ roundish-ovate, plump, two-leaved, with
brownish lanceolate bracts at their base. _Leaves_ narrowed below into
a petiole, elliptic-oblong, with a stout costa, plicate, leathery, one
and a half-inch wide, and from six inches to a foot long including the
petiole, of a lively green. _Peduncles_ erect, rigid, springing from
between the leaves, terete, terminating in a dense raceme of flowers,
below which are several pairs of abortive imbricated pale brown
bracts. _Flowers_ large, white, with a peculiar sooty or pitchy stain
covering the inner side of the lip, breaking out into fine pencillings
towards the margin; _sepals_ white, oblong-ovate, broadish at the
base, narrowed to the acute point; _petals_ white, lanceolate acute,
broadest at the base; _lip_ white, oblong, three-lobed, saccate at the
base, fringed with brown-based hairs on the anterior margins, and
bearded with hairs entirely dark brown on the three veins of the disk,
forming three shaggy crests, the side lobes tinged with pale flesh
colour or pink outside. _Column_ white, deflexed, bilobed at the end.

Cœlogyne barbata, _Griffith_, _Itinerary Notes 72_; _Id._ _Notulæ ad
Plantas Asiaticas_, iii., 280, t. 291, fig. 2; _Lindley_, _Folia
Orchidacea_, _art._ Cœlogyne, No. 21; _Reichenbach fil._, in _Walpers’
Annales Botanices Systematicæ_; vi., 229.

Of our present subject Dr. Lindley remarks (_Folia Orchidacea_, l. c.)—“This is, perhaps, the finest of this fine genus. The coriaceous leaves are more than fifteen inches long; the scapes are erect, very stiff, as long as the leaves, and furnished at the apex with an imbricated sheath of bud scales, out of which appears a flexuous raceme four to six inches long, composed of very large blunt deciduous bracts. The flowers are fully two inches and at half in diameter, pure white, except very long hairy fringes which are brown at their base, where they border the lip, and wholly brown where they cover the veins, and form three shaggy crests.” The only figure previously published is a very indifferent one of Griffith’s quoted above.

In the _Cœlogyne_ we now bring to the notice of our readers we have one of the most useful species of a comparatively large genus, and one that blooms during the winter months, when white flowers are sought after. It is one, moreover, the flowers of which stand well when cut. We are indebted to Mr. W. Bull, of Chelsea, for the introduction of this species; which is a free bloomer when the bulbs are strong. It is a plant which possesses many good qualities, being a free grower as well as a free bloomer, and having the advantage of bearing fine evergreen foliage; it will thrive well in the cool house with Odontoglots; and besides all this, it is a cheap plant, so that everyone having a cool house can procure and grow it without much expense or trouble. Our drawing was taken from a specimen which flowered in the Victoria and Paradise Nurseries.

_Cœlogyne barbata_ is, as we have just said, an evergreen plant, with short pseudobulbs and stout foliage, which grows about a foot long, and is of a lively green colour. The sepals and petals are white; the lip is sepia-brown, distinctly bearded with long fringes of coloured hairs, which give it a very distinct and quaint appearance, the fringe and beard contrasting very strongly with the white sepals and petals. It blooms during the autumn months, and continues flowering for a long time, if the flowers are kept free from damp. The plant should, therefore, be placed at the dry end of the house when in bloom, or be removed to a drier house than that in which it has been grown. We find it to grow well in a pot, if allowed perfect drainage, and planted in rough fibrous peat, allowing it a moderate supply of water during the growing season, but reducing the quantity when the plant is at rest.

There were three very interesting New Orchids exhibited by Sir T. Lawrence, Bart, M.P., at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on April 22nd last, all being remarkably distinct and pretty:—

Angræcum fastuosum.—The growth of this species is somewhat similar to that of _A. articulatum_, but the leaves are rounder and broader. The spikes are short and drooping, the flowers pure white, sweet-scented, with the lip larger than the petals; very distinct.

Odontoglossum cinnamomeum.—A new species, much resembling the true and rare _O. odoratum_. The sepals and petals are, however, broader, and the markings are much denser; the lip is yellow, with a large brownish crimson blotch in the centre, and the margin faintly spotted with the same colour, the whole surface being covered with fine downy hairs; very strongly scented.

Dendrobium Harveyanum.—This is a great surprise, being in the way of _Dendrobium Brymerianum_, but it has this peculiarity, that the petals are fringed in the same way as the lip, thus practically giving to the flower the appearance of three lips instead of one, although somewhat modified. The flowers are smaller than those of _D. Brymerianum_, but the plant resembles it in growth; and, indeed, it was imported with that species, so that possibly it may be a sport from it, which has become fixed. This plant has been named in honour of E. Harvey, Esq., Riversdale Road, Aigburth, Liverpool, in whose collection it first bloomed.—H. W.

CATTLEYA LABIATA PERCIVALIANA.
[Plate 144.]
Native of Brazil.

Epiphytal. _Stems_ erect, club-shaped, becoming furrowed in age,
nearly a foot in height, monophyllous, evergreen. _Leaves_
oblong-obtuse, leathery, dark green. _Scape_ two-flowered, issuing
from an oblong sheath. _Flowers_ about five inches across, exceedingly
handsome, the lip being very richly coloured; _sepals_
linear-lanceolate, entire, the dorsal one recurved, of a soft pale
magenta-rose; _petals_ much larger and longer, broadly ovate-obtuse,
the margin slightly wavy, scarcely denticulate, about two and a
quarter inches broad, of the same pale rosy hue as the sepals, the
mid-rib strongly developed towards the base; _lip_ comparatively
small, but intensely rich in colour, bluntly keeled at the back
towards the base, plane for about half its length, with the margins
closely folded over the column, rosy at the edge, strongly flushed
with crimson and veined with golden yellow; the front lobe
roundish-oblong, one and a half inch wide, its edges meeting over the
throat, the margin being finely but neatly frilled, as also are the
sides of the broadly-rounded deeply-emarginate apex; the colour in the
expanded portion is a very rich velvety crimson in the central area,
passing near the front edge to a band one-fourth of an inch wide of
the pale rose of the petals, and continued narrower along the sides,
the disk and the sides of the tubulose basal portion flushed with
maroon-crimson, everywhere richly veined with deep yellow, giving the
appearance of bronzy gold, and having two elevated golden ridges
extending to the base. _Column_ thick, clavate, white, with a blunt
keel at the back, extending nearly to the apex, which has a small
inflexed acute appendage lying between the two blunt lobes of the
anther bed.

Cattleya labiata Percivaliana, _Reichenbach fil._, in _Gardeners’
Chronicle_, N.S., xvii., 796.

There has been much controversy of late respecting this beautiful _Cattleya_, the true character of the flowers of which will be seen at once from our Plate, our artist having produced a very faithful representation of the richly-coloured blossoms. We have seen the flowers of two successive seasons from the very plant from which our drawing was taken, and have noted that they keep true to character as regards colour, and that in the second year the flowers were larger than in the first, which may be accounted for by the plant having become stronger and better established, the blossoms partaking of the general improvement. It must not, however, be expected that every purchaser will obtain a plant of the some character as that represented in our Plate, as we have seen but few that have proved to be equal to the one we figure. There is an abundant supply of plants imported as _C. Percivaliana_, but they vary greatly in merit—more so in this than in any other _Cattleya_ that has come under our notice. Many of the species of _Cattleya_ yield variety both as to the colour and size of their blossoms, though they are generally all good enough to cultivate or to use as decorative plants; but in this particular species or subspecies there are many that prove to be worthless, and unfortunately no one can tell whether individual plants will be good or had until the flowers expand. The good ones are really valuable, for there is no other _Cattleya_ in which the lip and throat are so richly coloured; even in the small-flowered forms there is a portion of this rich colouration to be found on the lip.