PL. 4. EPIDENDRUM VITELLINUM MAJUS.
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs ovate, clustered, two-leaved. Leaves oblong-ligulate, acute, sheathing at the base. Scape erect, six to nine inches high, racemose, many-flowered, longer than the leaves. Flowers brilliant orange-scarlet, nearly two inches across, much larger than the typical form; sepals spreading; petals flat, elliptic, somewhat broader than the sepals, spreading, lanceolate, acute; lip clawed, linear, abruptly acute, with a bifoveate (two-holed) callosity below the middle, deep yellow passing to orange-scarlet at the tip. Column parallel with and nearly half the length of the lip, to which it is adnate towards the base, the anther-bed marginate in front.
Epidendrum vitellinum majus, of gardens.
The original form of Epidendrum vitellinum, of which a good though pale-coloured figure will be found in the Botanical Register for 1840 (t. 35), is one of the most brilliant of the Epidendreæ, on account of its remarkable fiery colour, which makes it invaluable for contrasting with other subjects, both in the Orchid-house, in the jardinière, or in the bouquet. The same colour, or something near it, occurs in a few other Orchids, which are equally valuable from a decorative point of view, as for example in Lælia cinnabarina, Lælia harpophylla, and Ada aurantiaca, all of them being plants, which, under favourable conditions, yield a brilliant effect. The subject of our plate has the advantage of producing larger and more showy flowers than its type, and to this extent is the more desirable of the two for the house-stage, or exhibition table.
Until within the last few years this plant was very rare, but having been imported in large quantities it is now to be found in every collection, however limited its pretensions. The bright colour of its orange-scarlet flowers, produced in considerable numbers on upright spikes, renders it a most striking and distinct species. We have known the flowers to last as long as twelve weeks in perfection; in fact, we have on several occasions exhibited a plant of it at as many as six different successive exhibitions. Mixed with other Orchids it has a most telling effect; and a well-flowered specimen once seen by a novice is likely to produce a lasting impression. In the Broomfield collection it is used very largely in association with Odontoglossums, and the effect of the orange-scarlet flowers amongst the numerous spikes of Odontoglossum Alexandræ, and other species, is charming.
We have found this Epidendrum to do well in the Odontoglossum-house in a compost of peat and sphagnum moss. It does equally well in a pot or in a basket, and should receive a fair supply of water while growing. The plant seems to revel in a good amount of sunlight, but it must be kept from the burning rays of the sun by a slight shading, too much sunshine being apt to make the foliage become blotched and sickly-looking.
The variety majus blooms at a different time of the year from the original species, which has the flowers much smaller, and which blooms in August and September from the young growths; whereas the variety majus flowers from the tips of the bulbs of the previous year’s growth. There are several forms of the plant, some with flowers much larger and brighter than others; indeed, the one here figured is not so large as some that were flowered years ago, which may be due to the fact that they were old-established plants. We remember the late Mrs. Lawrence, of Ealing Park, exhibiting a remarkably strong specimen at one of the Chiswick shows, thirty-five years since, a perfect blaze of flower. S. Brunton, Esq., also exhibited a grand plant of a good variety a few years back; and C. W. Lea, Esq., Parkfield, Worcester, had a wonderful example in bloom, last year. These several plants were all part of the early importations.
The Manchester Show of Orchids, June, 1881.—The display of Orchids at the Manchester Exhibition was a very fine one, and no Orchid grower should have missed the sight. The specimens were truly marvellous, especially the sixteen plants shown by R. Dodgson, Esq., of Blackburn, amongst which were a Vanda suavis with about a dozen flower-spikes; Lælia purpurata and Cattleya Warneri, both wonderful specimens, as also was Masdevallia Harryana; Cypripedium barbatum superbum which had a hundred blooms upon it, and was not made up for the occasion, but had been grown on from a single plant; and Dendrobium Wardianum which was a magnificent plant. Great credit is due to Mr. Osman for his talent, in successfully cultivating so fine a collection. G. Hardy, Esq., of Timperley, exhibited some wonderful plants, especially of Cattleyas, Lælias, Dendrobium thyrsiflorum, Oncidium Marshallianum, Odontoglossum vexillarium, &c. R. F. Ainsworth, Esq., M.D., also exhibited some fine specimens, especially Vanda suavis, Aërides Fieldingii, and A. Schröderii; these three are most extraordinary plants, and have been grown in the collection for eighteen years, which is a sufficient proof of what can be done by perseverance, and, moreover, gives one an idea how well Orchids can be grown and exhibited for many successive years. We have known these three specimens to be shown at the Manchester exhibitions and elsewhere for the past ten or fifteen years, and they are now in the finest possible condition, as they have always been, under the successful management of Mr. Mitchell. There were besides, other exhibitors whose specimens were well worthy of note.—B. S. W.
PL. 5. MASDEVALLIA SHUTTLEWORTHII.
Epiphytal. Rhizome slender, slowly creeping. Leaves crowded, petiolate, the petiole with a sheathing scale at the base, the blade about equalling the petiole, two to three inches long, elliptic-oblong, acute, pale green, obscurely three to five-nerved. Scapes numerous, slender, as long as or longer than the petioles, green, with an ovate acuminate appressed bract at the top. Flowers yellowish, tinted with rose, rather large for the size of the plant; the perianth tube very short and swollen at the base; dorsal sepal of a pale yellowish red, indistinctly dotted with pale rosy red spots, and marked with from five to seven (or nine according to Reichenbach) longitudinal wine-coloured nerves, fully an inch long, sub-erect, concave or somewhat hooded, obovate, suddenly contracted into a tail two or three times its own length, the tail green below and becoming orange-yellow towards the tip; lateral sepals obliquely ovate, spreading, and decurved, thickly studded with deep red spots, and tapering off into a tail similar to that of the dorsal sepal; petals small, linear-oblong or ligulate, bilobed at the apex; lip very small, broadly oblong, recurved at the tip, with two keels or ridges running down the centre. Column short, three-toothed at the apex.
Masdevallia Shuttleworthii, Reichenbach fil. in Gardeners’ Chronicle, N.S. iii., 170; Hooker fil., Botanical Magazine, t. 6372.
Of this interesting plant, one of a popular genus inhabiting the cool temperate humid regions of Northern and Western South America, Professor Reichenbach, by whom it was dedicated to Mr. Shuttleworth, one of Mr. W. Bull’s collectors, remarks that it is “rather a nice thing amongst Masdevallias of the second order of beauty.” It was first flowered in 1878 by W. H. Punchard, Esq., of Poulett Lodge, Twickenham. Our figure was prepared from a plant which has bloomed in our own collection recently. We find it to be a very free-blooming species.
The Masdevallias comprise many interesting species and varieties, some of very remarkable structure, and others with colours of extraordinary richness and brilliancy. Our present subject is not one of the most showy, but it may be ranked with the more curious of the species, and is certainly of a distinct and pleasing character, as is well represented in our Plate. The plant was discovered by Mr. Shuttleworth, when travelling for Mr. Bull, and by him it was first transmitted to Europe. Since then we have received it from the same country through our own collector, Mr. Carder. The Masdevallias are plentiful in their native habitats, but the difficulty of obtaining them in this country lies in the risks attending importation, which are mainly attributable to the fact that they have no thick fleshy bulbs to support them during their journey. We have heard of thousands of plants of this particular species having been sent off, but of these comparatively few have been received alive, so that unless some more successful means of introducing them into England can be found, it will always remain a rare plant.
Masdevallia Shuttleworthii is of free-blooming habit, and the flowers last a long time in perfection. It generally blossoms during the spring and summer months. The plants require but little room, as the foliage is of neat growth, and the whole height of the plant does not exceed from six to eight inches. The leaves are of a dark green colour and firm texture. The flower-scapes proceed from the young growth, and attain the height of about eight inches, the more conspicuous spreading long-tailed sepals being of a pleasing yellowish rose colour thickly marked with wine-red spots, while the petals and lip are small and inconspicuous.
We find the plants grow well when potted in small pots or pans suspended from the roof, and filled with peat and sphagnum moss; but they require thorough drainage, since they need a liberal supply of water during summer. In the autumn and winter months they do not require so full a supply, but they must have sufficient to keep them moist. They thrive best in the same house with the Odontoglots, where they obtain shade, and are kept cool. None of the Masdevallias like heat, and most of them require the same kind of treatment. The house in which they are grown should have a north aspect, so that they may not get too much sun-heat, as this causes the leaves to become spotted, to the great disfigurement of the plant.
Insects become a nuisance if allowed to accumulate on the plants. The thrips, which is one of their greatest insect enemies, constantly attacks them, and must be subdued by cleansing them frequently and thoroughly with a sponge and warm soft water.
The propagation of Masdevallias is effected by dividing the plants, leaving a few old bulbs with a leading one in front. They are the easiest of all Orchids to increase, and are best divided up occasionally, as when the plants get too large they do not flower so freely. The most suitable time to perform this operation is just as they commence to make their growth. They should at first be put into small pots, and shifted into larger ones as they increase in size, and develope abundance of roots.
Lælia Philbrickiana.—This new Hybrid was exhibited at the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, by the Messrs. Veitch and Sons. It was raised between Cattleya Aclandiæ and Lælia elegans, partaking of the dwarf habit of C. Aclandiæ. The plant grows about eight inches high, and produces its leaves in pairs, of a dark green colour, about four inches in length; from between these the flower-sheaths proceed. The sepals and petals are of a glossy purplish crimson-brown, spotted with darker spots; the lip is of a bright crimson, the basal part purple and white. It blooms in June and July, and will be a very useful addition to our collections.—B. S. W.
PL. 6. CATTLEYA MORGANÆ
Epiphytal. Stems short, oblong or somewhat clavate, furrowed when mature, attaining with the leaves about eighteen inches in height. Leaves solitary, coriaceous, ligulate-oblong, acute, of a light green colour. Scape three to four-flowered, issuing from a terminal oblong compressed bract, which is about two and a half inches long. Flowers large and pleasing on account of their delicate colouring, about six inches across when expanded; sepals lanceolate, entire, three-fourths of an inch broad and about three inches long, recurved at the tip, white; petals spreading, clawed, broadly ovate, fully two inches across, the margin entire at the base and much undulated in the anterior portion, white; lip obovate, emarginate, about three inches long, the basal portion entire and rolled over the column, the anterior portion moderately expanded and beautifully frilled, white, like the rest of the flower, with a small blotch of pale magenta near the apex, but not quite extending to the margin, and stained on the disk with an obcordate blotch of clear yellow, passing into orange-yellow in the throat, the deeper portion being veined with yellow lines. Column concealed by the convolute base of the lip.
Cattleya Morganæ, supra.
One of the most chaste and charming of the summer-flowering Cattleyas, and quite distinct in aspect from all others in cultivation. We have great pleasure in dedicating it to Mrs. M. Morgan, of New York, who is a great admirer of this noble class of Orchidaceous plants, and, moreover, has a fine and valuable collection of them. The first specimen we bloomed produced ten flower spikes, and was exhibited at the Manchester Botanical and Horticultural Society’s Show in June, 1879; the plant was the admiration of all who saw it, and was on that occasion awarded a First Class Certificate on account of its distinct and pleasing character.
Cattleya Morganæ belongs to the same section of the genus as C. Mendelii, of which section there are many races or varieties, all of which are beautiful and rich in the colouring of the lip, some having the sepals and petals white, while in others they are of a rosy hue, more or less intense. The plant now before us grows about eighteen inches in height, and has light green foliage with a somewhat drooping habit. It produces its flowers freely, as many as four together on the spike. The sepals and petals are pure white; and the lip is white with a light magenta blotch near the apex, its throat orange colour, the incurved base white, and the edge beautifully fringed. The flowers are produced in May and June, and last from five to six weeks in perfection. It makes a fine subject for decorative purposes, since its pure white flowers form a charming contrast with the high-coloured varieties of other species of Cattleya, of which there are many that come into bloom at about the same time.
Cattleya Morganæ requires the same treatment as C. Mendelii and C. Mossiæ, and will thrive well, grown either in a pot or basket, planted in good fibrous peat and sphagnum moss. It will also succeed on a block suspended from the roof. As in the case of the other Cattleyas, it prefers to have all the light possible, but to be just sufficiently shaded to keep off the direct rays of the sun. It must be borne in mind that the plants are found growing naturally on the branches and stems of trees in the forests, where they get some shade, and a free circulation of air, which it is of great benefit to secure, and which should be made a point of the utmost importance in the artificial cultivation of all Orchids, as of most other plants. It would be a great boon to cultivators if our collectors would note down and supply fuller and more precise information on these points, for although of course the natural conditions could not in all cases be carried out to the full extent, yet we should then be better able to imitate them, and thus supply the natural wants of the plants. In giving as much air and light as possible, however, cold draughts must be avoided, which may be effected by fixing the ventilators near the hot-water pipes, and should a cold wind prevail by giving air on the opposite side, always closing the house in good time. In summer water should be freely sprinkled about the tables and paths twice a day, namely, in the morning, and about three or four o’clock in the afternoon. During the dull dark days of winter, very little moisture is required, but on warm days some water may be given to the plants, especially in springtime when the days begin to lengthen. Syringing should be avoided during the winter, except in the case of those on blocks, for a little dewing with the syringe during the day, will not hurt these, as the moisture quickly dries off. The water should always be used in a tepid state.
One of the most important items in Orchid culture is cleanliness. Every plant should be cleansed as soon as any indications of insect life are perceived upon it, since there are Insecticides and other remedies sold to destroy all such pests. Cockroaches, Snails, and Woodlice are very troublesome, and should be well looked after at night when they come out to feed on the young shoots and flowers. Woodlice may be caught by laying down here and there traps, consisting of some moss, at night, or half potatos or turnips scooped out in the centre, and placed about in quiet nooks and corners, or on the pots; the woodlice will harbour under them, and may be caught and destroyed in the morning.
Cattleya gigas.—See note under Plate 2. We have since received a wonderfully grand flower of Cattleya gigas from the fine collection of J. S. Bockett, Esq., of Stamford Hill; it is eight and a half inches in diameter; the sepals and petals are of a light rose colour, the lip three inches across, and three in length, of the richest crimson-magenta, margined with a lighter colour, and the throat partly magenta and partly orange. The spike bore four of these flowers.—B. S. W.
PL. 7. PROMENÆA CITRINA.
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs small, ovate, tetragonal. Leaves three to four inches in length, oblong-ligulate, acute, tapering below into a narrow petiole, growing two together at the apex of the pseudobulb, of a pale green colour. Scapes two to three inches long, bearing largish ovate bracts in the upper part, and smaller bracts below, and terminated by a solitary deep yellow showy flower, measuring about an inch and a half across; sepals obovate, acute, concave or curving forwards at the tip, bright yellow; petals yellow, also converging, similar to the sepals in size, form, and colouring; lip larger and broader than the sepals and petals, spreading, three-lobed, the two lateral lobes erect, oblong obtuse, rising up on each side of the column, yellow spotted with red on the inner face, the front lobe plane, obovate, apiculate, unspotted yellow, with a prominent crest at its base. Column erect, semi-terete, incurved, stained in the front with brownish red.
Promenæa citrina, Don, Hortus Cantabrigiensis, ed. 13, 720 (1845); London, Hortus Britannicus Supp. 618 (1850); Williams, Orchid Growers’ Manual, ed. 4, 253, ed. 5, 281; Rand, Orchids, 377.
Maxillaria citrina, Lyons, Treatise on Orchidaceous Plants, 176.
Promenæa is a small genus of Orchids which was separated from Maxillaria about forty years ago (1843) by Lindley, who at the same time also dissociated from it the plants respectively referred to Warrea, Paphinia, Lycaste, and Scuticaria. Later on Reichenbach classed Promenæa as a section of Zygopetalum. Dr. Lindley distinguished the group of species which he referred to Promenæa, and which he regarded as fully entitled to generic rank, by the following peculiar features, namely, their spreading sepals, their three-lobed lip, crested or tuberculate at the base, their short semi-terete column, and their ovate glandule with four, that is two double, sessile pollen masses. The species then proposed were P. stapelioides, P. xanthina, P. lentiginosa, P. Rollissonii, and P. graminea. To these Reichenbach added P. guttata in 1856, and P. microptera in 1881. Neither of these authorities, so far as we can trace, refer to P. citrina; but, according to Don and Loudon, the plant was introduced to our gardens in 1840, though they attribute to it the erroneous habitat of Mexico. Our good friend, Professor Reichenbach, suggests that it is a garden name, sometimes applied to P. Rollissonii and sometimes to P. guttata; but it has long been recognised as a distinct plant by English and Continental Orchid growers, and is certainly different from the P. Rollissonii figured by Dr. Lindley; nor does it correspond with the description of P. guttata, so far as the materials at hand enable us to judge.
This, it will be seen, is a very neat-growing plant, the small tetragonal pseudobulbs slowly creeping over the surface of the blocks on which the plants are grown. It is, moreover, of small stature, the leaves, which grow in pairs from the top of the pseudobulbs, rarely exceeding three or four inches in height, and the flower-scapes attaining even less elevation. The flowers, which are rather large for so small a plant, being of a rich and brilliant colour, become rather effective; and though, of course, they do not compare at all in gorgeous beauty with those of many of the larger-flowered Orchids, they are by no means to be despised even from the decorative point of View; indeed, when grown on a block, as represented in the accompanying Plate, and suspended from the roof of the house, the plant forms a very pretty and distinct object, occupying, as it does, but a small space in which it displays much beauty and attractiveness. The bright orange-yellow flowers are, moreover, very freely produced, and if kept dry, continue for a long time in a fresh and pleasing condition.
There is another species of the same habit, Promenæa stapelioides, which comes into bloom about the same time as this, and in which the flowers are spotted with dark purple, so that they appear to be nearly black. The contrast of these two when grown and flowered on the same block is very effective. In the noble collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., we saw a large pan-full of P. citrina growing freely, which had a very beautiful appearance, but we prefer to see the plant grown on a block, as in this manner the flowers hang downwards, and are shown off to much greater advantage. There are certain varieties to be occasionally met with, in which the flowers are without spots on the lip, but those which have this latter peculiarity are to be preferred, as the two colours afford a pleasant relief.
Fibrous peat and sphagnum moss seem to suit the plant well when it is grown in either pots or pans; but when cultivated on blocks of wood, a little sphagnum moss only about its roots will be quite sufficient, though if grown in this latter way it requires a more liberal and more frequent supply of water, in order to keep the roots moist. We find the Cattleya-house to suit it best, and we grow it suspended against a wall at the end of the house, where it gets syringed in warm weather. The manner in which its blooms are produced may be seen from our Illustration, which is an excellent representation of the habit of the plant, not only as regards its general manner of growth, but also of its mode of flowering.
PL. 8. CYPRIPEDIUM STONEI.
Terrestrial. Stem wanting, the short erect crowns each furnished with numerous radical evergreen leaves, and emitting stout fleshy roots. Leaves distichous (two-ranked), a foot or more in length, leathery or somewhat fleshy, oblong, obtuse, with a short recurved mucro, dark green above, of a paler green beneath. Scape dark purple, issuing from the centre of the leaves and furnished with a sheathing bract at its base, about two feet in height, three to four-flowered, the pedicels subtended by green lanceolate acuminate bracts. Flowers large, richly-coloured, measuring when spread out four inches in the direction of the sepals, and nine to ten inches in that of the petals; dorsal sepal broadly cordate, acuminate, nearly two inches broad, white, marked in front with a bold central, and on each side with two or three curved lateral stripes of deep purple-brown, keeled behind, and there stained with purple-brown; lateral sepals (united) ovate-acuminate, with a central and on each side three lateral stripes extending nearly to the base, greenish-white, edged with purple-brown; petals set at a right angle to the sepals, one-fourth of an inch broad, five inches long, tapering gradually to the apex, decurved, greenish-white with dark purple-brown veins and spots, becoming wholly purple at the tip, and having near the base a purple margin, and a few scattered marginal purple hairs; lip large, prominent, calceoliform, the basal portion unguiculate from the introflexion of the margin, greenish, the apex large, pouch-shaped, like the front of a shoe or slipper, dull purplish-red reticulately veined with darker purple. Column white, with a ring of yellow hairs at the base, two-branched, the lower branch three-lobed, the later lobes bearing each a small orbicular sessile yellow anther, the terminal lobe forming a large white ovate fleshy disk (abortive third stamen) the upper or stigmatic branch cordate-obovate, convex, whitish, tinged with purple, and fringed at the back and sides with yellow hairs.
Cypripedium Stonei, Low; Hooker, Botanical Magazine, t. 5349; Van Houtte, Flore des Serres, xvii., t. 1792-3; Lemaire, Illustration Horticole, ix., p. 107; x. t. 355; Bateman, 2nd Century of Orchidaceous Plants, t. 141; Jennings, Orchids, t. 12.
This magnificent plant is one of the most beautiful species of the genus Cypripedium. Several varieties of it are known, and though they are all good and well worth growing, that which we have selected for illustration is the best and darkest that has come under our notice. The plant from which our figure was taken, bloomed in the Victoria Nursery, and had five flower-spikes, two of which have been in bloom for the past six weeks, and are now as fresh as ever.
Cypripedium Stonei was first flowered by Mr. Stone, gardener to John Day, Esq., of High Cross, Tottenham, after whom it has been named. It was for a long period a very rare species, and, indeed now, though small plants may be purchased for a moderate sum, yet large specimens are scarce and valuable. It makes a fine show plant, its lasting qualities being a great recommendation to it, both from an exhibition and decorative point of view.
The plant is a native of Borneo, and was introduced to this country by the Messrs. Low, of Clapton. It produces dark green foliage of about twelve or in some of the varieties we have seen as much as fifteen inches in length. From the centre of this tuft of leaves the flower-spikes are produced and rise to a height of about two feet, each bearing three or four of its large slipper-shaped blossoms, which are the most exact representations of a shoe or slipper of those of any of the species, and most completely justify the trivial name of the genus, Lady’s Slipper. The sepals are large, white, striped on the veins or nerves, with dark purple, and tinged with yellow; the petals are five inches in length, and are yellowish, streaked and blotched with purple; and the lip is large and of a dull reddish-purple, veined with deeper purple-red. It is of free-blooming habit, and when the growths are strong it produces a flower-spike from each crown, but it takes some considerable time to complete its growth before it sends forth its spikes; indeed, it begins to grow soon after its blossoms have faded. The plant having no thick fleshy bulbs from which to derive support, requires a more continuous supply of moisture than many other Orchids. The roots are coarse and fleshy, and should in consequence be supplied with a stronger soil than is required by some of the other kinds. We find it to thrive best in good fibrous loam, with a small quantity of charcoal, and a little leaf-mould or peat, all being well mixed together, giving the pots good drainage, but not so much as is required in the case of Cattleyas, for example. As it is a strong rooting plant, it is best grown in a pot, and should be a little elevated above the rim. We have found the East India house to supply the most suitable atmospheric conditions in which to cultivate it; here it should be placed on the side-tables near the light, but out of the sun. The finest specimen we have seen exhibited was staged by Mr. Child, gardener to Mrs. Torr, Garbrand Hall, Ewell, Surrey, at the South Kensington Show, in 1878.
There is a very distinct variety of this plant called Cypripedium Stonei platytænium, of which a figure has been lately published in Mr. Warner’s Select Orchidaceous Plants, 3 ser., t. 16. Of this form, living plants were till recently only to be found in the collection of John Day, Esq., but they were distributed when that collection was recently dispersed by auction sales, and were purchased at high prices by Baron Schröder and Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., in whose collections they may now be seen. This variety is just like C. Stonei in its growth, and the flowers are closely similar, the chief difference being, that the petals are shorter and broader, and resemble those of C. superbiens.
PL. 9-10. LÆLIA PURPURATA WILLIAMSII.
Epiphytal. Stems (or pseudobulbs) clavate-oblong, monophyllous, two feet or more in height, somewhat furrowed when mature. Leaves coriaceous, evergreen, narrowly oblong, emarginate, dark green. Scape three to four-flowered, issuing from a stout sheathing oblong bract or spathe, four to five inches long. Flowers large, and very handsome; measuring eight inches across, of a delicate rose colour, with a purple-crimson lip; sepals linear-lanceolate, acute, of a pale rosy tint, pencilled with simple rosy-purple longitudinal lines; petals oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, of a beautiful delicate rose colour, pencilled with divergent forked lines of deeper purple; lip (labellum) three-lobed, the lateral lobes obsolete, convolute around the column, the front lobe large, broad, and roundish, of a rich dark crimson-magenta, the tip paler and reticulately veined, and the throat yellow, beautifully veined with crimson-magenta. Column scarcely reaching to the middle of the convolute base of the lip.
Lælia purpurata Williamsii, Hort.; Williams’ Orchid Grower’s Manual, ed. 4, 196; ed. 5, 208.
The species, of which this is one of the finest known varieties, and the genus Lælia to which it belongs, together with the neighbouring genus Cattleya, are placed by the great Orchidist, Reichenbach, in his amplified genus Bletia, so that the Lælia purpurata of Lindley, in Paxton’s Flower Garden, becomes the Bletia purpurata of Reichenbach in Walpers’ Annales, vi. 423. The name of Lælia is, however, that which is adopted amongst cultivators of Orchids.
The Lælia which we have now to describe, was named many years ago in the Orchid Grower’s Manual, when it was exhibited at the Crystal Palace and received its present appellation. The plant now represented was flowered at the Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, but has now passed into the select collection of Baron Schröder, of The Dell, near Staines. It was a wonderfully strong plant, and produced two spikes of its highly coloured blossoms, which led all those who saw it in its beauty, to pronounce it to be the finest Lælia they had ever witnessed. Our artist has given a good representation of the plant and its blossoms. The club-shaped stems and foliage stood thirty inches in height, and were provided with very strong sheathing bracts whence the flower-spikes issued, each bearing four flowers, which were individually eight inches in diameter. It has bloomed with us in the same style for two successive years. The plant that we flowered some years ago was not so large as that now figured, the reason being that it was not so strong a specimen, and, therefore, not able to produce such fine flowers. This is sufficient evidence of the advance the plants make before they get to their full strength and vigour. In the variety before us the sepals and petals are of a delicate rose, veined with a beautiful dark tint of the same colour, while the lip is very broad, large, and splendidly coloured, the prominent parts of a rich dark crimson-magenta, paler and veiny at the tip, and beautifully veined with crimson on the yellow ground-colour of the throat. The blooming season is in May and June, the flowers continuing in perfection for three or four weeks, if kept free from damp and in a dry place. We have a house set aside specially for Orchids when in flower, and in it very little moisture is used, by which means we seldom get the flowers spotted or prematurely decayed.
There is another fine form of Lælia purpurata with white sepals and petals that are quite flat, not at all recurved; this variety has a rich dark crimson-magenta lip. We exhibited this form with nine flower spikes at the Regent’s Park Exhibition, and it produced a grand effect. There are many other fine varieties.
Lælia purpurata when well cultivated is a good looking plant, and even when not in bloom it is an object of attraction, on account of its stately evergreen foliage. It is a native of Brazil, and is found growing on the branches of trees on the outskirts of the forests where the plants get light, and are yet shaded from the burning sun. They are best grown in the Cattleya-house, and will thrive either in pots or baskets, but we find the pot system the best, as they are strong growing plants, and require ample space to bring them to perfection. They are the better for being moved about, especially if they are required for exhibition. There are no more showy Orchids for exhibition purposes, and this is especially true of such varieties as that now before us.
We find that they thrive best in good fibrous peat, and some live sphagnum moss on a part of the surface; when in a growing state the moss keeps them moist without too much water being given whilst they are making their growth. In watering them be careful not to wet the young shoots. The pots should be three parts filled with drainage, which must be formed of broken pots and lumps of charcoal intermixed. The plants must be elevated about two inches above the rim of the pot. The best time to pot them is after they have done blooming just as they begin to make new growths, and before the roots start, when they will soon commence to work into the clean sweet peat. If the plant is in a sufficiently large pot, and the soil about it is sweet and clean, it will not require re-potting, but it will benefit the plants greatly to give them some fresh fibrous peat just before they begin to root, as the old soil is apt to become hard and inert through constant watering. They require to be kept moist during the growing season, but must not even then be soddened with water. In winter only just sufficient must be given them to keep them moist, and to prevent their stems and leaves from shriveling.
PL. 11. PHALÆNOPSIS AMABILIS DAYANA.
Epiphytal. Stem none, or consisting of a short crown furnished with rigid fleshy leaves, and emitting succulent roots, which latter are flattened, and cling to any congenial object with which they come in contact. Leaves large, thick and coriaceous, distichous, oblong, obliquely retuse, dark green above, purple beneath. Scape long, drooping, issuing from the base of the plant, or the leaf axils, and bearing the large moth-like flowers in a two-ranked raceme. Flowers large, pure opaque white, spreading, the lip beautifully coloured; sepals oblong-obtuse, white, the lower ones prettily dotted with carmine; petals larger and broader, sub-rhomboid, narrowed towards the base, pure white; lip furnished with a callus at the base, smaller than the petals, three-lobed, the lateral lobes ovate obtuse, ascending or incurved, yellowish along the antical margin and dotted with carmine-crimson near the base, the central lobe trowel-shaped, carmine-crimson across the base and at the edge, and marked with a central crimson stripe; the lip is concave, bearing at the narrowed apex two incurved twisted white cirrhi. Column semi-terete, recumbent on the ovary.
Phalænopsis amabilis Dayana, Hort.
The genus Phalænopsis belongs to the tribe Vandeæ, which is distinguished amongst those with waxy pollen-masses, by having these attached to a distinct caudicle, united to a deciduous stigmatic gland. It no doubt comprises several of our finest Orchids, which are prized no less on account of the graceful development of their inflorescence than for the attractive white blossoms of the more familiar species. Our drawing of the charming Phalænopsis amabilis Dayana here figured, was taken from a fine specimen in the collection of W. Lee, Esq., of Downside, Leatherhead, who was kind enough to allow us to publish an illustration of it. The variety is very rare; indeed, we believe this is the only specimen known to be in cultivation in this country. It was named in compliment to John Day, Esq., of Tottenham, from whose collection it was obtained by Mr. Lee. From the markings about the base of the lip it will be seen to be very distinct, though it is no doubt a form of P. amabilis, with which it agrees in foliage and in the general character of the flowers, but differs in the distinct markings just referred to. The plant grows to about the same size as P. amabilis.
There is at Downside a grand collection of Phalænopsids, which are especially well managed by Mr. Woolford, the gardener. They are great favourites with Mr. Lee, and he has built a house to meet their special wants. This is undoubtedly a good plan to adopt where there is such a fine and comprehensive set of plants as are to be found in this establishment, since they require different treatment to most other Orchids. They have thick fleshy leaves, and the stems of the plant are also fleshy, while, unlike many Orchids, they have no thick pseudobulbs from which to derive support; hence it follows that they require more moisture than many others. We do not, however, agree with giving them so much as we often see supplied. One great advantage of having a separate house for them is that their individual treatment and wants can be more carefully studied and more exactly met.
We have seen Phalænopsids grown well amongst other East Indian Orchids. For instance, we exhibited a plant so grown of Phalænopsis grandiflora for ten successive years at the Chiswick and Regent’s Park Exhibitions, and at several shows during each year, and it generally bore from sixty to seventy blossoms. This was the variety imported from Java, which we consider the best, as it produces more flowers than the variety from Borneo. We see that growers now-a-days are obliged to put several plants together in order to make a specimen fit for exhibition. There were others who about that time also exhibited these large plants, and, amongst them Mr. Kinghorn showed at Chiswick a wonderful specimen, bearing the best flower-spike we have ever seen.
Phalænopsis amabilis Dayana requires the same treatment as P. grandiflora and P. amabilis, and will do either in a pot, basket, or pan, suspended from the roof. It will also thrive on the side stages, but in this case requires to be elevated so that the roots can hang free, for they are abundant rooting plants. If suspended from the roof the plants have more room to throw out their thick fleshy roots, and in this way they approach nearer to the manner in which they grow in their native habitats, for they are found on the branches and stems of trees, where they obtain a free circulation of air. When thus suspended they get without restraint the fresh air that circulates through the house. They can also be cultivated on blocks, but under these circumstances they will require to be more freely supplied with moisture. These are plants that like plenty of light, but they must be shielded from the sun by shading. The best material to grow them in is sphagnum moss, with good drainage, and they require to be kept moist all the year round. In warm weather they of course require more than in winter, when just a sufficient quantity to keep the moss in a moist condition will be all that they will need. It is imperative never to allow water to reach the heart of the plant, for that will sometimes induce it to rot, and will often cause the leaves to go spotted.
The plants must, of necessity, be kept free from insects. Sometimes the thrips will attack them, but this should be cleaned off. To be thoroughly successful with Orchids they require constant watching. Cockroaches are a great pest to all those that throw out thick fleshy roots, which they injure by gnawing them off, thereby weakening the constitution of the plant. J. S. Bockett, Esq., of Stamford Hill, has one of the finest grown collections of Phalænopsis we have ever seen, but this, of course, has been in process of formation for years, and the plants have become large established specimens.
PL. 12. ONCIDIUM GARDNERI.
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs oblong-ovate, furrowed, about two inches in height, dark green, purplish beneath. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute, coriaceous, about six inches long, growing two together from the apex of the pseudobulbs. Scape one and a half foot high, including the panicle of handsome flowers, lateral, that is, springing from the base of the pseudobulbs. Flowers showy, of medium size, deliciously fragrant; sepals oblong, acute, the lateral ones semi-connate; petals twice as large as the sepals, roundish in outline, clawed at the base, the edges undulated, and as well as the bars across the sepals of a light chestnut or bronzy brown colour with a narrow margin of pale yellow; lip large, three-lobed, the middle lobe large, transversely emarginate, bright yellow, with a belt of confluent parallel oblong chestnut brown blotches just within the margin, the lateral lobes auriculæform, obsolete, yellow; the crests of the lip consist of two pairs of tubercles with the intermediate space warted. Column furnished with dwarf roundish wings.
Oncidium Gardneri, Lindley, London Journal of Botany, ii., 662; Id. Folia Orchidacea, art. Oncidium, 19; Reichenbach fil., in Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematicæ, vi. 728.
This charming Orchid is very nearly related to Oncidium curtum, O. prætextum, and O. amictum. It belongs to an extensive genus of Vandeous Orchids, many of the species of which are exceedingly beautiful on account of the brilliancy of their flowers, which are mostly of a bright yellow colour, often prettily spotted, and generally produced in graceful spikes or panicles. No collection should be without some of the best and most ornamental of them. The figure which we now publish represents a very charming Brazilian species, one of the best forms of the plant we have seen. Our drawing was made from a specimen in the select and varied collection of W. Vanner, Esq., of Chislehurst, who was kind enough to permit our artist to avail himself of it. This collection occupies several houses which are respectively filled with species belonging to the different groups or classes, and among which are some very rare specimens, all well cultivated by Mr. Milford, the gardener, who, for many years has been a successful grower of Orchids.
Oncidium Gardneri is a compact growing plant, furnished with dark green pseudobulbs, which are from two to three inches in height. The foliage is also dark green in colour, and about six inches in length. The flowers are very freely produced in branching spikes or panicles, and are generally developed in June and July, lasting for several weeks in perfection. The sepals and petals are brown, narrowly margined with pale yellow. The lip is large, of a bright golden-yellow colour, margined with bright brown oblong parallel blotches. The flowers, moreover, are deliciously scented. There are many varieties of this plant, all of which are worth growing, since they take up but little space, and when grown in quantity, produce a good effect. We saw about fifty spikes of the different varieties, some in bloom, and others showing, in the collection of C. G. Hill, Esq., of Arnot Hill, near Nottingham, and we shall not soon forget the effect produced, as the group of plants appeared to be one mass of bloom. By cultivating plants of this character space may be economised, since they grow as freely on blocks as in baskets. We also find them to thrive well in small pans suspended from the roof of the Cattleya-house or in any situation affording them the same temperature, with very slight shading from the sun. They are best grown near the glass, so that they may get all the light possible. As a root medium, a mixture of good sphagnum moss and fibrous peat suits them best, but the plants must have good drainage, since they must be kept moist during the growing season, though when at rest a more limited supply will suffice—just sufficient being given to keep the bulbs plump, for on the other hand, it is not a plant that likes to be dried up. The bulbs sometimes shrivel when they flower too freely; if this is observed do not allow the blossoms to remain too long on the plants, as they will keep a good time in water when cut from the plant. Being of a graceful character they are well adapted for the decoration of drawing-room stands, in which, if intermixed with foliage and other flowers, they help to produce a very charming effect. Indeed no flowers are so useful as Orchids for decorative purposes, as they last so long when cut.
Lælia Dominiana rosea.—This is the finest hybrid Lælia that has come under our notice. It is the result of a cross between Cattleya Dowiana, and C. exoniensis, and the parentage is very evident in the novel form thus obtained. The lip is like that of C. Dowiana, of a rich purple-crimson, crisped at the margin; the sepals and petals are of a pale lilac colour. It is a most beautiful Lælia, and is named in honour of Mr. Dominy, who has been most successful in raising seedling Orchids. There have been many wonderful hybrids brought out by the Messrs. Veitch and Sons, through the indefatigable exertions of Mr. Dominy, who has long been known as one of the oldest and most successful of Orchid growers, and whose name will be kept in remembrance as long as Orchids are cultivated.—B. S. W.