DEDICATED
BY SPECIAL PERMISSION
TO
H.R.H. The Princess of Wales,
BY
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS’
Very obedient and humble Servants,
ROBERT WARNER,
BENJAMIN S. WILLIAMS.

PREFACE.

The great advances which have been made within the last few years in the introduction and the cultivation of Exotic Orchids, have suggested the desirability of devoting a monthly publication to the illustration of the best forms of these singular and captivating aristocratic plants, and also to the explanation of the most successful methods of growing them, its object being to supply such information concerning them as the Orchid Grower may be likely to find useful in directing his purchases, and in suggesting the various points of discreet and masterly management. Moreover, we have found that figures of the better varieties of Orchids are much in request.

These considerations have induced us to commence the publication of the Orchid Album, in the confident expectation that we shall meet with sufficient support and encouragement to enable us to continue it, and, so far as our experience goes, we have no reason to feel disappointed, for we find that Orchid growers, both amateur and professional, are taking a marked interest not only in the plates but also in the cultural notes.

In regard to the subjects for illustration, we hope in due course to figure not only the typical form of all the more popular and interesting species, but also the leading varieties, when they prove sufficiently distinct and meritorious. It is for these that we anticipate our subscribers and readers will most anxiously look.

Being of Royal Quarto size, the pages of the Album are sufficiently large to enable the artist to produce ample and intelligible portraits of the plants without their becoming cumbersome; and, as they will be drawn and coloured in the best style, we confidently hope they will prove to be acceptable to the lovers and growers of Orchids generally. Thus we trust we may be permitted to lay before our patrons an acceptable Annual Album of Floral Pictures, which will be, at once, welcomed both to the Drawing-room and the Library.

The work has been commenced in deference to the urgent representations of many of the leading cultivators of these remarkable and fascinating plants, who have pointed out to us the want which we are now endeavouring to meet. The great advantage and pleasure which Orchid Growers have derived from the publication of such illustrated works as the Select Orchidaceous Plants, and such practical instructions as are given in the Orchid Grower’s Manual, lead us to believe that there exists a desire and a taste for further Orchidic literature, which we trust the Orchid Album may in some considerable degree supply. Our chief aim will be to give authentic information as to the nomenclature of the plants, and to disseminate correct instructions in regard to their cultural requirements. The finer new Orchids, as well as the older meritorious species and varieties, will be figured with equal fidelity, and described with equal accuracy. We shall at all times feel grateful to those Amateurs or Trade growers who may give us information as to the flowering either of novelties or of remarkably fine forms of the older kinds, especially if they are such as will be suitable for figuring.

The Annual Volumes will consist of the twelve Monthly Parts issued up to June in each year, when the volume will be completed by the publication of a Title Page and Index.

B. S. WILLIAMS.

INDEX TO PLATES.

PLATE

AËRIDES LOBBII, Hort. Veitch21

ANGRÆCUM EBURNEUM, Du Pet.-Th.41

ANGULOA RUCKERII SANGUINEA, Lindl.19

BURLINGTONIA CANDIDA, Lindl.18

CALANTHE VEITCHII, Lindl.31

CATTLEYA GUTTATA LEOPOLDII, Lind. et Rchb. f.16

CATTLEYA MENDELII GRANDIFLORA, Williams et Moore3

CATTLEYA MORGANÆ, Williams et Moore6

CATTLEYA SUPERBA SPLENDENS, Lem.33

CATTLEYA TRIANÆ, Lind. et Rchb. f.45

CATTLEYA VELUTINA, Rchb. f.26

CŒLOGYNE MASSANGEANA, Rchb. f.29

CYMBIDIUM PARISHII, Rchb. f.25

CYPRIPEDIUM CHLORONEURUM, Rchb. f.37

CYPRIPEDIUM LAWRENCEANUM, Rchb. f.22

CYPRIPEDIUM POLITUM, Rchb. f.36

CYPRIPEDIUM STONEI, Low8

DENDROBIUM AINSWORTHII ROSEUM, Moore20

DENDROBIUM BIGIBBUM, Lindl.38

DENDROBIUM SUAVISSIMUM, Rchb. f.13

DENDROBIUM SUPERBUM, Rchb. f.42

EPIDENDRUM VITELLINUM MAJUS, Hort.4

LÆLIA ANCEPS DAWSONI, Anders.44

LÆLIA ELEGANS ALBA, Williams et Moore30

LÆLIA PURPURATA WILLIAMSII, Hort.9-10

LÆLIA SCHRÖDERII, Williams et Moore2

LÆLIA XANTHINA, Lindl.23

MASDEVALLIA HARRYANA CŒRULESCENS, Hort.24

MASDEVALLIA SHUTTLEWORTHII, Rchb. f.5

MILTONIA CUNEATA, Lindl.46

ODONTOGLOSSUM ALEXANDRÆ, Batem.47

ODONTOGLOSSUM ALEXANDRÆ FLAVEOLUM, Williams et Moore43

ODONTOGLOSSUM ANDERSONIANUM, Rchb. f.35

ODONTOGLOSSUM BREVIFOLIUM, Lindl.27

ODONTOGLOSSUM KRAMERI, Rchb. f.40

ONCIDIUM CONCOLOR, Hook.1

ONCIDIUM GARDNERI, Lindl.12

ONCIDIUM HÆMATOCHILUM, Lindl.32

PAPHINIA CRISTATA, Lindl.34

PESCATOREA KLABOCHORUM, Rchb. f.17

PHALÆNOPSIS AMABILIS DAYANA, Hort.11

PHALÆNOPSIS STUARTIANA NOBILIS, Rchb. f.39

PROMENÆA CITRINA, Don.7

TRICHOPILIA SUAVIS ALBA, Hort.14

VANDA CŒRULESCENS, Griff.48

VANDA PARISHII, Rchb. f.15

ZYGOPETALUM GAUTIERI, Lem.28

INDEX TO NOTES AND SYNONYMS.

UNDER PLATE

Aërides Fieldingii, Dr. Ainsworth’s4

Aërides Leeanum, Mr. Law-Schofield’s37

Aërides odoratum majus, Mrs. Arbuthnot’s14

Aërides Schröderii, Dr. Ainsworth’s4

Aërides suavissimum, Mr. Coates’18

Angræcum eburneum virens41

Angræcum sesquipedale, Mr. Coates’18

Angræcum superbum, Du Pet.-Th.41

Bletia xanthina, Rchb. f.23

Bollea cœlestis, as a block plant40

Bolleas, Mr. Gair’s17

Cattleya Dowiana, Mr. Dodgson’s19

Cattleya Dowiana, Mr. Lee’s2

Cattleya gigas, Mr. Bockett’s6

Cattleya gigas, Mr. Lee’s2

Cattleya labiata Lindigiana, Karst.45

Cattleya labiata Trianæ, Duch.45

Cattleya Leopoldii, Hort. Versch.16

Cattleya superba, Sir T. Lawrence’s3

Cattleya Trianæ, Mr. Wright’s41

Cattleya Trianæ Dodgsoni40

Cattleya Trianæ Osmani40

Cymbidium eburneum, correction29

Cypripedium barbatum superbum, Mr. Dodgson’s4

Cypripedium insigne, Mrs Haywood’s27

Cypripedium Spicerianum, Mr. Bockett’s19

Cypripedium villosum, Mr. Wyatt’s42

Cyrtochilum citrinum, Hook.1

Dendrobium Ainsworthii, Moore20

Dendrobium Falconeri, Marquis of Lothian’s44

Dendrobium Findleyanum, Mr. Bowring’s32

Dendrobium Hillii, Mr. Wyatt’s42

Dendrobium macranthum, Hook.42

Dendrobium macrophyllum, Lindl.42

Dendrobium nobile, a three-lipped48

Dendrobium superbum (macrophyllum), Prince of Wales’36

Dendrobium Wardianum, Mr. Salamon’s44

Dendrochilum filiforme, Mr. Hill’s15

Epidendrum elatius, var., Rchb. f.45

Epidendrum labiatum Trianæ, Rchb. f.45

Epidendrum nemorale, Sir T. Lawrence’s3

Lælia anceps Dawsoni, Mr. Dodgson’s28

Lælia autumnalis atrorubens, Mr. Chamberlain’s28

Lælia Dominiana rosea, Hort. Veitch12

Lælia elegans prasiata40

Lælia Philbrickiana, Hort. Veitch5

Limodorum eburneum, Bory.41

Masdevallia chimæra, Dr. Ainsworth’s26

Masdevallia Harryana, Rchb. f.24

Masdevallia Lindeni, Hook.24

Masdevallia Lindeni Harryana, André24

Maxillaria citrina, Lyons7

Maxillaria cristata, Lindl.34

Miltonia speciosa, Kl.46

Odontoglossum Alexandræ, Dr. Ainsworth’s26

Odontoglossum Alexandræ flaveolum, Mr. Hardy’s34

Odontoglossum Alexandræ reginæ48

Odontoglossum Bluntii, Rchb. f.47

Odontoglossum crispum, Lindl.47

Odontoglossum crispum flaveolum, Rchb. f.43

Odontoglossum Londesboroughianum, Mr. Law-Schofield’s27

Odontoglossum Roezlii, Mr. Todd’s43

Odontoglossum vexillarium, Mr. Bull’s autumn-flowering variety23

Odontoglossums at Trentham43

Oncidium luridum purpuratum, Lodd.32

Oncidium speciosum, Rchb. f.46

Orchids, Dr. Ainsworth’s26

Orchids, Mr. Dodgson’s4

Orchids, Mr. Dorman’s40

Orchids, Mr. Hardy’s4

Orchids, Baron Schröder’s22

Orchids at Arnot Hill15

Orchids at Ferguslie18

Orchids at Manchester, 18814

Orchids in Belgium, Dr. Boddaert’s1

Orchids in Belgium, M. D. Massange’s16

Orchids from Dr. Paterson45

Orchids, from Perth, N.B.48

Orchids, raised blinds for35

Orchids, shading30, 35

Pescatoreas, Mr. Gair’s17

Phalænopsids, Mr. Bockett’s11

Phalænopsis intermedia Portei, Baron Schröder’s22

Phalænopsis Stuartiana, Rchb. f.39

Restrepia antennifera, M. D. Massange’s16

Rodriquezia candida, Batem.18

Sphagnum, best kind for Odontoglots43

Trichopilia suavis, Lindl.14

Vanda Cathcartii, M. D. Massange’s16

Vanda cœrulea, Marquis of Lothian’s17

Vanda Lowii, Sir T. Lawrence’s3

Vanda suavis, Dr. Ainsworth’s4

Vanda suavis, Mr. Dodgson’s4

Vanda tricolor, Mr. Broome’s25

Vanda tricolor planilabris, M. Massange’s16

Zygopetalum Klabochorum, Rchb. f.17

ONCIDIUM CONCOLOR.
[Plate 1.]
Native of the Organ Mountains of Brazil.

Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs small, tufted, ovate or ovate-oblong, compressed, somewhat furrowed, two-leaved. Leaves subcoriaceous, oblong-linear or ligulate, acute, bright green. Scape radical, springing from the base of the young pseudobulbs, drooping, furnished with small bracts. Flowers yellow, racemose; sepals (dorsal) ovate-lanceolate or obovate, acute, the lateral ones smaller, lance-shaped, and united behind the lip for about half their length; petals obovate, acute, somewhat undulated, about as long as the sepals; lip (labellum) large and prominent, roundish subpanduriform, emarginate, somewhat clawed, furnished with a pair of plates or lamellæ (bilamellate) at the base, of a clear yellow colour, as are the sepals and petals. Column about half as long as the petals, with a projecting tooth on each side.

Oncidium concolor, Hooker, Botanical Magazine, t. 3752; Lindley, Folia Orchidacea, Art. Oncidium, No. 65 (excl. syn. Klotzsch); Reichenbach fil. in Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematicæ, vi. 731.; Carrière, in Revue Horticole, 1881, 30, with tab.

Cyrtochilum citrinum, Hooker, Botanical Magazine, t. 4454.

The brilliant little plant here figured—a representation in the tribe Vandeæ, of the great genus Oncidium—belongs to the group of Oncids which Lindley named Tetrapetala micropetala, in which two of the sepals are united so that the petaloid organs, as distinguished from the lip, are reduced to four in number (tetrapetala), and at the same time the petals, which are about equal in size to the sepals, are comparatively small by comparison with the remaining organ.

This species, although not new, was until recently extremely rare, and was, indeed, seldom met with in collections; now, however, the little gem is very plentiful, thanks to the indefatigable zeal of our collectors, so that growers who do not possess it may obtain it at a very small cost. The species is one of the most compact-growing and beautiful of the Oncidiums, producing, as it does, from the base of the new bulbs, many-flowered drooping spikes of rich yellow blossoms. It is an excellent subject for planting in a pan or basket to be suspended from the roof of the house, where the brightly-coloured flowers produce a charming effect; indeed, we do not know of any Orchid which has a better appearance when grown in this way.

Oncidium concolor succeeds best in a compost of peat with a little sphagnum moss added, and with plenty of good drainage. We have grown it most successfully in small pans, but it can be cultivated either in a basket or on a block. It would succeed equally well in a pot, but the drooping character of the flower-spikes renders it a most fitting subject for growing in either of the above-named receptacles, and for suspension from the roof. As to temperature, we find it succeeds best in the Odontoglossum-house during the summer months. After it has flowered, and while it is making its growth, a copious supply of water should be given to it, always keeping the soil moist until the growth of the bulbs is completed. When it has finished its growth, it should be removed to the Cattleya-house, where it should be kept moderately dry until it produces its spikes about March or April.

For exhibition purposes this is a most valuable little plant, being easy of cultivation, distinct in colour, and flowering during the principal exhibition months, May and June; its long lasting quality is also a great point in its favour. In order to preserve the flowers for a considerable time, they should be kept free from damp, for if allowed to get wet they soon become spotted, and fade, but when kept in this way, they will last at least six or seven weeks. The plant is altogether a most valuable Orchid, and as it takes up but little room, we recommend growers to procure a good stock of it, as its effect when suspended among other flowering Orchids is charming.

Orchids in Belgium.—When in Ghent a few days ago, I had the good fortune to receive an invitation to view the celebrated collection of Dr. Boddaert of that city. The collection is a very extensive one, and the plants are exceedingly well grown and healthy. There was a good show of flowering Orchids, among which may be mentioned:—Trichopilia crispa marginata with forty-two expanded flowers, a marvel of cultivation; Odontoglossum Phalænopsis with twenty-six flowers, a fine well-grown plant; Cypripedium Argus with six flower spikes; the new Trichopilia suavis alba, of which we hope to give a plate later on; Anguloa Ruckerii sanguinea with several flowers; also the rare Nanodes Medusæ, with Odontoglossums, Vandas, Masdevallias, &c., in great variety.

H. Williams.

LÆLIA SCHRÖDERII.
[Plate 2.]
Native of Bahia.

Epiphytal. Stems (or pseudobulbs) club-shaped, about a foot and a half high, monophyllous, furrowed when mature. Leaves coriaceous, oblong, acute, broad to the base, light green. Scape three to four-flowered, issuing from a terminal oblong compressed bract, an inch wide and five inches long. Flowers large, subhorizontal, about seven inches across, delicately coloured, with a prettily veined lip; sepals lanceolate, reflexed, three-fourths of an inch wide, white; petals convex, ovate, narrowed to the base, somewhat crispy at the edge, pure white, scarcely as long as the lip; lip (labellum) membranaceous, three-lobed, the lateral lobes convolute around the column, yellow outside, striped with deeper yellow veins, the middle lobe ovate, obtuse, undulated, the anterior portion and margin white, the mouth veined with magenta-rose, the disk naked, and the tubulose basal portion deep yellow, veined with magenta. Column much shorter than the lateral lobes of the lip.

Lælia Schröderii, supra.

This plant belongs to that tribe of the Orchid family which is called Epidendreæ, and of which the genus Epidendrum is regarded as the type. This group is known by its waxy pollen-masses, which are attached to a distinct caudicle, but bear no separable stigmatic gland as occurs in the tribe Vandeæ. The genus is closely related to Cattleya, and contains some of the finest ornaments of our Orchid-houses.

The subject of our present illustration is a new and most beautiful Orchid, now figured and described for the first time. It is closely allied to Lælia grandis, but is distinct from that species, inasmuch as the sepals and petals are white, whereas those of L. grandis are of a nankeen yellow. It is named in honour of Baron Henry Schröder, an enthusiastic admirer of this handsome class of plants. The species flowered for the first time this year, in the Victoria and Paradise Nurseries.

The flowers are produced in May and June, three or four together, on spikes which are produced from the apex of the new bulbs; they have a delicate and pleasing appearance, the sepals and petals being pure white, while the lip is white, striped with rose, throat deep yellow, veined with magenta. It should be kept free from damp when in flower, as the blossoms being of a delicate nature, soon spot and go off; but kept in this way free from moisture they will last about four weeks in a fresh and perfect state.

In growth the plant somewhat resembles L. purpurata, the bulbs and foliage being about eighteen inches in height, and of a light green colour. It succeeds well grown in the Cattleya-house in pots filled with peat and a little sphagnum moss, over plenty of drainage. It should receive a moderate supply of water at the root during the growing season, and should never be allowed to get thoroughly dry. When it has made its growth it should be allowed to rest, and at that time should be kept rather dry, only giving it sufficient water to prevent it from shrivelling.

Lælias are subject to the attacks of white scale, but this can easily be got rid of by sponging with clean water. Thrips sometimes attack the young growths, and if allowed to increase, soon disfigure the leaves.

Cattleya gigas and C. Dowiana.—These Cattleyas have been considered to be shy-flowering species, and we have sometimes found them to be so in our own experience, but we are beginning to change our opinion on this subject. No doubt there are some plants that grow and flower more freely than others, but a great deal depends on the conditions in which they are placed and the treatment they receive. I recently had the pleasure of visiting the collection of W. Lee, Esq., of Leatherhead, which in time will be one of the finest to be seen in this country. The Estate is situated in an open part of the country, and the Orchid-houses are built on the side of a hill where they get the full light and sun, while they are sheltered from the driving winds; these houses are, indeed, all that can be desired, the requisitions of the various classes of plants having been well studied. Every accommodation is provided for those kinds, such as Cattleya gigas and C. Dowiana, that are difficult to bloom. These two were splendidly in flower, and are most lovely and distinct kinds; the flowers of C. gigas were nearly nine inches in diameter, the sepals and petals of the purest dark rosy colour, and the lip a fine rich dark crimson magenta. C. Dowiana was also very fine and attractive in colour, the sepals and petals being of a nankeen yellow, and the lip of a rich dark purple, elegantly pencilled and striped with lines of gold. We hope at some future time to give our readers a plate of the fine variety of C. gigas above referred to. Both these species are here grown as near the light as possible, and the treatment they receive is, first to induce a vigorous growth, and then to give them a good rest after the growth is completed, at the same time keeping them well exposed to the light, and giving them merely sufficient water to prevent them from shrivelling, a more ample supply of water being given as soon as they show signs of flowering. There was also in this collection another species that is generally considered difficult to grow, namely, Vanda teres, of which there were three plants which had been blooming very finely. When cultivated as these are, they well repay all the trouble taken with them. These are grown at one end of the house, without any shade.—B. S. W.

CATTLEYA MENDELII GRANDIFLORA.
[Plate 3.]
Native of the United States of Columbia.

Epiphytal. Stems oblong, club-shaped, furrowed when mature, twelve to eighteen inches high. Leaves solitary coriaceous, ligulate-oblong, acute, dark green above, paler beneath. Scape three to four-flowered, issuing from a terminal oblong compressed bract, which is three to four inches long, and an inch broad. Flowers very large and exceedingly handsome, measuring eight inches across; sepals an inch wide, lanceolate, recurved, white; petals spreading, clawed, broadly ovate, measuring nearly three inches across, plane towards the base prettily frilled in the anterior portion, the apex recurved, white, with a scarcely perceptible tint of blush near the edge; lip obovate emarginate, three and a quarter inches long, the basal half entire, rolled over the column, the anterior portion expanded and beautifully fringed, about two inches in breadth and rather more in depth, the apical half occupied with a solid blotch of rich magenta rose, passing to white at the frilled edge, the side portions white, the disk and throat of a delicate tint of nankeen yellow, the extreme base white, with numerous divergent lines of magenta rose, a few of which (about two) run out to join the blotch at the tip of the anterior lobe. Column about half as long as the convolute base of the lip, club-shaped, decurved, semiterete, with a rounded keel at the back.

Cattleya Mendelii grandiflora, supra.

When Cattleya Mendelii was first flowered by S. Mendel, Esq., some few years ago, many botanists were of opinion that it was not sufficiently dissimilar from, but only a variety of, C. Trianæ. Since that time it has been flowered in many different collections with but little variation of character, and, as we think, has fully vindicated its right, whether as a species or race, to be regarded as a distinct Orchid of first-rate merit.

The subject of our plate is a gigantic variety of the Cattleya Mendelii, which has just flowered in our own collection. It proves to be in every way larger, and altogether superior, to the old type, the flowers having much more substance, and being of better form, which results from the greater width of the lip and petals. The sepals and petals are white, the latter being very broad and of good substance, while the lip is broad and well fringed, pure white in its upper part, with a large bright magenta patch at the front part, and the throat is orange, with reddish crimson veins, which stand out in fine contrast against the pure white of the remaining portions of the flower. It produces as many as four flowers on a spike, each flower measuring over eight inches across, and the flowers are thrown well up above the foliage, and thus produce the grandest appearance we have as yet seen in any Cattleya.

Cattleya Mendelii succeeds well in a compost of peat, with the addition of a little sphagnum moss, and requires good drainage. We have found it to do best in pots, with the plant well elevated above the rim, but it can be grown with success either on a block or in a basket suspended from the roof of the house. The temperature of the Cattleya-house suits it best.

This is a grand plant for exhibition or decorative purposes, as the pure white and magenta of its flowers are exceedingly effective amongst the other species of Cattleya which flower at the same time of year. The flowering season is May and June, after which time C. Mendelii begins to make its growth. It should then receive a moderate supply of water—not too much, as an over bountiful supply is apt to cause the young growths to rot. After the annual growths are completed the plants should be gradually dried off, only giving them sufficient water to keep them from shrivelling.

The species of Cattleya are all subject to white scale and thrips. These insect pests may, however, be easily removed by careful sponging, either with water or a little insecticide; they should be cleaned off as soon as discovered, as if allowed to establish themselves they disfigure the leaves and bulbs, and so spoil the appearance of the plants. Cleanliness and good cultivation are the chief points to be considered in the successful keeping of Cattleyas.

Vanda Lowii, &c.—One often hears that Vanda Lowii does not bloom until it attains a large size. This, however, is erroneous, for we have flowered it when not more than two feet high; and we have also seen a plant of about the same size in the collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., with a flower spike some four or five feet long, in full beauty, with its two bright orange-yellow flowers at the base, the rest of the blossoms being of a bright brownish-crimson colour. This was a most extraordinary spike for so small a plant. When the specimens attain a larger size they often produce six of these long spikes, which extend to seven feet in length. We have one now showing this number of spikes, but the plant is fully five feet high. We were glad to see in this collection a grand mass of Epidendrum nemorale majus, which is figured in the first series of Warner’s Select Orchidaceous Plants, but we never expected to see such a specimen as that in the collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, which must have been three or four feet across, and had eighteen spikes of its beautiful rosy and mauve-coloured flowers. This plant was well worth going to see, as were many others: indeed, the fame of this collection is so widely spread that it is almost needless to comment upon it; suffice it to say, that it is the finest and best kept collection we know of. At the time of our visit we were pleased to see some fine plants of Cattleya superba with their splendid deep rose and crimson flowers; this is one of the most distinct and beautiful of all Cattleyas, and had been grown in the East India House, suspended from the roof.—B. S. W.