Title: The Orchid Album, Volume 3
Author: Thomas Moore
Editor: Robert Warner
Benjamin Samuel Williams
Illustrator: J. N. Fitch
Release date: May 1, 2019 [eBook #59411]
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Carol Spears and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
COMPRISING
COLOURED FIGURES AND DESCRIPTIONS
OF
NEW, RARE, AND BEAUTIFUL
ORCHIDACEOUS PLANTS.
CONDUCTED BY
ROBERT WARNER, F.L.S., F.R.H.S.,
Author of SELECT ORCHIDACEOUS PLANTS,
AND
BENJAMIN SAMUEL WILLIAMS, F.L.S., F.R.H.S.,
Author of the ORCHID-GROWERS’ MANUAL, etc.
The Botanical Descriptions by THOMAS MOORE, F.L.S., F.R.H.S.,
CURATOR of the CHELSEA BOTANIC GARDENS.
THE COLOURED FIGURES BY JOHN NUGENT FITCH, F.L.S.
VOLUME III.
LONDON:
Published by B. S. Williams,
AT THE
VICTORIA AND PARADISE NURSERIES, UPPER HOLLOWAY, N.
MDCCCLXXXIV.
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.
PL. 97. LÆLIA ELEGANS PRASIATA
Epiphytal. Stems erect, clustered, terete, clavate, jointed, about one and a half foot high. Leaves in pairs at the top of the stems, linear-oblong, obtuse, coriaceous, deep green. Racemes short, erect, six to eight-flowered, issuing from an oblong purplish compressed bract, the peduncles and pedicels green. Flowers large and showy, five inches across; sepals about three inches long, oblanceolate, the edges revolute and the tips recurved, of a light magenta-rose, paler towards the base, having a greenish tint along the centre, and a distinct flush of purple; petals obovate-lanceolate, acute, an inch broad, of a deeper rose than the sepals, and having a flush of green, the margins undulated; lip three-lobed, the lateral lobes elongate, white, rolled over the column, tinted with rose at the edges; and of a bright rosy crimson at the tips; the front lobe an inch and three-fourths in breadth, transversely-reniform, crenate and much undulated at the margin, of a rich magenta-crimson, traversed by veins of deeper crimson, the veins most evident in the centre where the ground colour is paler; disk smooth. Column clavate, marginate, enclosed.
Lælia elegans prasiata, Reichenbach fil., in litteris, 1863; Id. Botanische Zeitung, October, 1864; Id. Gardeners’ Chronicle, N.S., xix., 11 (sub-variety).
The Lælias form a glorious class of Orchids, including many noble species which certainly rank amongst the most beautiful of the whole family. Their flowers embrace nearly every shade of colour, including bright orange, yellow, pure white, magenta, rose, and many others. They are all extremely beautiful, notwithstanding that some of them produce large flowers, while those of others are much smaller, for the latter are often of a more brilliant colour than the larger kinds, which is an ample compensation. The whole family, without exception, is well worth growing.
The particular form we now bring before the notice of our readers is a very handsome variety, and when first bloomed had the flowers prasiato aspersis; it is of the same type as Lælia Turnerii, of which there is a grand plate in the first series of Mr. Warner’s Select Orchidaceous Plants. Our illustration was prepared from a drawing taken from a specimen, bearing two spikes, and which produced six beautiful flowers on each, in the select collection of Baron Schröder, The Dell, Staines.
Lælia elegans prasiata is an evergreen plant, producing stems or pseudobulbs about eighteen inches high, furnished with two leaves which are six inches long and of a dark green colour. It produces its flowers from the new bulb when it has completed its growth, and they issue from a sheath, six or more together. The sepals and petals are of a dull magenta, tinged with green, the lip being of a bright magenta, while the external port of the lateral lobes, where they roll inwards over the column, is white. The flowers are very fragrant, the scent being a mixture of “May” and “Gardenia.”
This plant blooms during September and October, and lasts in beauty for about three weeks. We find it requires the same treatment as Lælia purpurata. It should, moreover, be grown in similar material, namely, good fibrous peat, with perfect drainage, and as much light as possible. Mr. Ballantyne, the gardener at the Dell, cultivates this with his Cattleyas, which are well grown, there being among them some wonderful specimens, many having over a hundred pseudobulbs. When in bloom, these plants are quite worth a journey to see.
The Manchester Whitsuntide Exhibition of 1883 was a great success. Over £2,000 was taken at the gates. We generally make a point of jotting down a few notes concerning this show, as its chief attraction consists of the Orchids, in which of course our readers are most interested. Although the show had lost several of its largest supporters, such as Mr. Percival, Mr. Hardy, and the late R. B. Dodgson, Esq., of Blackburn, there were others who exhibited in strong force. We will mention a few of the most noteworthy of the plants. O. Schneider, Esq., showed a very fine collection, including Cattleya Mendelii, a grand variety with sixteen flowers; also a splendid plant of C. Mossiæ, with over twenty beautiful flowers; and Dendrobium Devonianum, a splendid plant with its long stems bearing over two hundred flowers; in front of this was Odontoglossum Pescatorei, with fourteen spikes of its lovely white and spotted flowers; and a fine Lælia purpurata, with its rosy sepals and petals, and bright crimson-purple lip. Dr. Ainsworth exhibited some very fine specimens of Dendrobium thyrsiflorum, with fifteen of its beautiful spikes; the pure white Phalænopsis amabilis, a splendid mass with twelve spikes and a hundred flowers; a wonderful specimen of Vanda suavis, with twelve spikes; Phalænopsis grandiflora, with more than fifty flowers; and Aërides Fieldingii, a fine specimen with five spikes and six branches. Mrs. Leach, of Gorse Hall, Stalybridge, exhibited six good plants, among them was a fine Cattleya Mossiæ, with a splendid dark lip; also Dendrobium nobile, fine, and the beautiful Odontoglossum Hallii. There were some fine specimens exhibited from the collection of W. Leach, Esq., Fallowfield, among which was a wonderful plant of Dendrobium Falconeri, with two hundred flowers; next to this was the curious Cypripedium caudatum, with six spikes, also Aërides crasssifolium, and other good Orchids. Mr. Upjohn exhibited a wonderful Vanda tricolor, the finest-grown plant we have seen, with five spikes. Mr. Hodgkinson exhibited a very fine variety of Vanda suavis with three spikes. Mr. James, of Norwood, Surrey, exhibited two fine collections, including a wonderful plant of Dendrobium Paxtoni; Cattleya Mendelii, with ten flowers; Masdevallia Harryana, a fine variety; a good plant of Dendrobium Jamesianum, with thirty-six flowers, and many other fine specimens. Mr. Cypher, of Cheltenham, also showed some good plants, among which we remarked a fine Dendrobium Freemanii, with one hundred flowers of a beautiful colour; D. Devonianum, with two hundred of its lovely blossoms; also some other good plants. Messrs. Ireland & Thomson, of Edinburgh, also exhibited a very fine collection of cut Orchids that was much admired.—B. S. W.
PL. 98. CORYANTHES MACULATA PUNCTATA.
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs ovate or sometimes narrowed and elongate, furrowed, two to three inches long, tapering upwards, clustered. Leaves two, from the apex of each pseudobulb, broadly lanceolate, plicate, submembranaceous, light green, about a foot long. Scape radical, pendent, one and a half foot long, brownish purple, bearing a raceme of several flowers. Bracts large, membranaceous, ovate-lanceolate, two or three sheathing ones on the scape, and one at the base of each pedicel. Flowers large, very peculiar in form, ochraceous yellow, curiously spotted and blotched with deep wine-purple; sepals conduplicate flexuose, membranaceous, the dorsal one small, oblong, the lateral ones broad, at first spreading, but at length becoming reflexed and resembling bats’ wings, pale ochraceous yellow, the surface thickly spotted with small dots of deep wine-purple; petals oblong, erect, twisted, much smaller than the sepals, of the same colour, but having the spots larger; lip stipitate, continuous with the base of the column, cup-shaped, having a large helmet-shaped pedunculate appendage, the cup yellowish, the appendage creamy white, spotted and blotched on both surfaces with deep wine-purple, the purple colour almost covering the anterior side. Column terete, recurved, two horned at the base, two winged.
Coryanthes maculata punctata, Lindley, Folia Orchidacea, art. Coryanthes, No. 2.; Reichenbach fil., in Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematica, vi., 598.
Coryanthes punctata, Lindley, Botanical Register, t. 1793.
Coryanthes is a most curious and interesting genus of Orchids, and but few species have yet come under our notice. We have long known C. macrantha and C. speciosa, which are two distinct kinds. That which we now figure is much like C. macrantha, with the exception that the crimson colouring is darker. Our drawing was taken from a fine specimen in the superb collection of W. McDonald, Esq., Woodlands, Perth, who is a great admirer of good Orchids.
Coryanthes maculata punctata is an evergreen plant, with short, thick pseudobulbs about two inches in height, bearing light green foliage about a foot in height. The flower spike proceeds from the base of the pseudobulbs, several flowers being produced together on the some scape; they are yellow, spotted with crimson. The plant, which blooms during October and November lasts but a few days in flower; it is, however, well worth growing on account of the extraordinary form of its flowers. Before they open they remind one of a Chinese foot; after opening they form a kind of cup having above it a pair of fleshy horns from which a liquid is distilled which drops into the cup.
These plants come from Demerara. They are found growing on the outside branches of trees, where they get all the light possible. They will thrive on blocks of wood, also in baskets or pots. If grown on blocks they require some good live sphagnum moss about their roots; if in baskets or pots, a little rough fibrous peat and charcoal mixed together will suit them, but they must have ample drainage as they require a good supply of water in their growing season. When at rest they should get just enough water to keep the bulbs in a plump state. We have found the warm end of the Cattleya house to suit them. These Coryanths require a good deal of care to grow them well. We used, some years ago, to grow fine specimens and exhibit them, and they were always a source of great attraction.
They are propagated by dividing the plants, leaving several old bulbs at the back of the leading one. This should be done just after they have started into growth. They must be kept free from insects which are apt to injure the young leaves as they are thin in texture. Sometimes thrips and red spiders will attack them, but they must be quickly exterminated.
Lælia purpurata.—A very fine spike of flower of this most beautiful and chaste Orchid was received by us from J. Buchanan, Esq., of Edinburgh. This plant has its sepals and petals quite flat, and holds them so till the last, whereas many of the purpuratas curl up a little after they have been open a short time. The sepals and petals are white, with a broad finely-coloured dark lip, of which the front portion is rich crimson-magenta, and the basal part paler and distinctly veined, the throat being yellow, beautifully veined with dark crimson. Each flower measured as much as seven inches across, the petals being two inches across. Mr. Grossart, the gardener, says, the flowers show well up above the foliage, which gives it a most striking appearance among the other varieties.—B. S. W.
PL. 99. DENDROBIUM FARMERII AUREUM.
Epiphytal. Stems short, clavate, with a thickened bulbiform base, jointed, deeply furrowed, the internodes almost wholly covered by membranaceous sheaths, bearing leaves at the apex. Leaves two or four, lanceolate, ovate, coriaceous, dark shining green. Racemes many-flowered, drooping, lateral, proceeding from near the top of the stem, just beneath the leaves, the pale green pedicels with a small concave ovate bract at their base. Flowers bright golden yellow, showy; sepals oblong-ovate, bluntish, spreading, of a clear bright golden yellow; petals of the some colour, much broader, roundish-ovate, almost meeting at the edges; lip concave, roundish, subunguiculate, with a small blunt spur behind, pubescent on the upper surface, and denticulate at the edge, of a deep rich orange-yellow, which contrasts agreeably with the lighter and brighter yellow of the outer perianth segments. Column small, pale yellow.
Dendrobium Farmerii aureum, supra.
Here we have a most charming Orchid, and one that blooms very freely on short bulbs or stems. The plant is of less vigorous habit than certain other of the varieties of D. Farmerii, some of which grow as vigorously as D. densiflorum. Indeed, excepting by cultivators who are well acquainted with the plants, it is a most difficult matter to distinguish them readily from each other. The plant we now describe and illustrate is a yellow-flowered variety of D. Farmerii, the typical form of which has pinkish sepals and petals and a rich yellow lip. It is a very lovely species. Our drawing of this rare variety was taken from a plant in the Victoria Nursery, Upper Holloway, where we have had the different forms flowering during the months of May and June, many of them growing on a back wall on blocks of wood, and producing a fine effect with their spikes of yellow blossoms hanging over the foliage. Even when grown in pots or baskets they have a pleasing effect, and take but little space.
Dendrobium Farmerii aureum is a compact evergreen species from Moulmein. It grows about ten inches high, with dark green shining foliage. The flower spikes proceed from the top of the old bulb stems, and are sometimes ten inches in length. The sepals and petals are bright golden yellow, and the lip rich orange. The plant blooms during March, April, and May, and lasts about a fortnight in perfection.
We have found the plants do well in the India House, under the same treatment as D. Farmerii itself. If grown in a pot give good drainage by filling the pot three parts full with crocks, adding a little rough fibrous peat and a small quantity of charcoal mixed with it, so that the plants may be well elevated above the rim, and thus be enabled to throw out their roots freely, while at the same time the water may pass off quickly. If they are grown in baskets, the same treatment may be given. A little water at the roots will suffice, as these plants do not like too much moisture. The soil must be kept moist during the growing season, but in their resting season only just sufficient must be given to keep their bulbs and leaves plump. As soon as they begin to show flower more water may be supplied in order to encourage the spikes to come out more freely. If grown on a block a little live sphagnum moss should be placed about their roots, and this must be kept moist during the growing season. When they are at rest a little less quantity will do until they commence to show their flowers.
Mr. Warner’s Orchids.—Those who wish to see Odontoglossums and Masdevallias grown and flowered as they should be, should pay a visit to the renowned collection of Orchids at Broomfield, Chelmsford. After having inspected the principal collections both in Europe and America, we have not the slightest hesitation in saying that this is one of the finest displays of flowering Orchids ever brought together. These Odontoglossums are grown by the thousand, Mr. Warner having sent a collector to New Grenada, a few years ago, to select and bring home the best varieties. This has resulted in getting together a collection of about 12,000 Odontoglots, comprising all the best species and varieties known to cultivators. On entering the Odontoglossum house we were enchanted with the sight before us. Let the reader imagine a large house sixty feet long by sixteen feet wide, with a centre and two side tables, literally crammed with flowering Orchids, consisting of hundreds of spikes of Odontoglossums and Masdevallias, intermixed with a profusion of the beautiful Epidendrum vitellinum majus and other Orchids, and he will form some idea of the magnitude of this show. Leaving the Odontoglossum house we entered the Masdevallia house, where there was also a grand display, among which we noticed particularly M. Harryana atrosanguinea, a fine form with large crimson-magenta flowers, measuring two and a half inches long by two inches broad; M. Dennisoniana, with richly coloured flowers, two and a half by two and a quarter inches; and M. Harryana longiflora, a variety with immense flowers, having blossoms three inches by two and a half of a rosy magenta colour, faintly striped with a darker tint of the same colour. In addition to these, there was another house about forty feet long filled with flowering Odontoglossums, Masdevallias, and other things, a perfect fairyland as viewed from the door. Leaving this house, we came to the Cattleya house where, although the collection of these plants is not large, there are nevertheless some fine varieties in bloom, more especially of Lælia purpurata and the ever varying Cattleya Mossiæ. Altogether we were highly delighted with our visit, and greatly appreciated the hospitality of our host.—H. W.
PL. 100. LYCASTE HARRISONIÆ EBURNEA.
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs ovate, tetragonal, furrowed, monophyllous, the young ones sheathed with brown membranaceous bracts. Leaves broadly lanceolate acute, narrowed to the base, strongly ribbed or plicate, rigid, dark green. Raceme two-flowered, radical, erect, shorter than the leaves, the peduncle furnished with appressed bracts. Flowers large end attractive, nearly three inches across; sepals ivory-white, waxy in texture; dorsal one oblong, obtuse, broader upwards, somewhat incurved, the lateral ones spreading horizontally, falcato-oblong, the lower side produced so as to cover the spur of the lip; petals obovate, about as long as the dorsal sepal, of an ivory-white wax-like appearance and stout fleshy texture; lip large, erect, narrowed at the base where it is enclosed by the lateral sepals, broader upwards, three-lobed: lateral lobes incurved and meeting the column, which they exceed, the margin with one or two broadish lobes primrose-yellow, covered with strongly marked forked reddish purple veins: front lobe smaller, oblong obtuse, recurved, undulated, white, with a few finer purple veins at the edge; disk with a broad orange-yellow hairy crest, which is blunt and much thickened in front. Column adnate for much of its length, and meeting the base of all the petals and sepals, the free portion incurved, semiterete.
Lycaste Harrisoniæ eburnea, Moore, supra.
We trust that the illustration we have now the pleasure to submit to our readers, may be the means of inducing Orchid Growers to take up the cultivation of the plants of this family for decorative purposes more than is done at the present time. They produce fine handsome flowers, and such kinds as L. Skinneri are most useful for winter decoration. There is a fine plate representing L. Skinneri in Mr. Warner’s Select Orchidaceous Plants, in which the light and dark coloured varieties are well shown. There are among them many distinct and varied colours, and they are all free blooming, lasting for six weeks in beauty; indeed, when grown in a cool house, they continue still longer in perfection. Some persons object to the Lycastes on account of the stiff rigid form of their flowers, while other cultivators selecting the best forms and varieties, find in them a source of much gratification. W. Lee, Esq., of Leatherhead, has some wonderful varieties of the L. Skinneri type, some of them dark red, others mauve-pink or pure white, and there are besides various other shades of colour; these all blooming at the same time, and intermixed with plants of graceful foliage, produce the decorative effect that one looks for in our orchid houses.
The plant our plate represents belongs to a different species, L. Harrisoniæ, one of the older of cultivated Orchids. The drawing was taken from a specimen bloomed and exhibited by ourselves at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Show at South Kensington in April last, and which was deservedly awarded a First Class Certificate for its ivory white flowers with a slight pencilling of purple on the lip. The typical L. Harrisoniæ although one of the oldest inhabitants of our stoves is well worth cultivating more extensively; it has creamy white flowers, with a purplish lilac lip, the flowers being larger, and the plant more robust in growth than in the present variety, eburnea, which, however, blooms more freely and retains the purity of its whiteness for some time. There are some yellow-flowered species, such as L. cruenta and L. aromatica, which are worth growing for their colour and fragrance.
Lycaste Harrisoniæ eburnea is an evergreen plant eight inches in height, with deep green foliage; the flower spikes proceed from the base of the pseudobulb and are about six inches in length. The sepals and petals are of pure ivory-white, and the lip is also white faintly striped with crimson; the throat yellow, striped with purplish red. It blooms during April and May, and lasts for several weeks in flower.
We have found this plant do well at the cool end of the Cattleya house. A cooler situation even than this will do. It must be potted in rough fibrous peat, with good drainage, and must be well elevated above the pot so that its roots can work about the soil. A little charcoal intermixed with the peat helps to keep the soil open; moreover, the roots like to cling to it, and it prevents the material from becoming sour. This plant will also do well in a basket suspended from the roof, as it likes a considerable amount of light to ripen its bulbs and foliage; this causes it to grow stronger and flower more freely. It requires the same treatment as L. Skinneri as regards watering during the growing season, but when at rest must be kept drier.
Orchids at Upper Holloway.—We were much gratified, when recently calling at the Victoria Nursery, to see the excellent condition of the Orchids generally, and the fine display of flowers. Some of Mr. Williams’ Orchid houses are provided with a vestibule, which, from its contiguity to the outer atmosphere and the frequently open doorway, is cooler and drier than the growing houses attached, and into these the blooming plants are brought for display, with the result that they are thus kept much longer in a state of beauty. The stock here is large and in first-rate condition, as, indeed, one would expect it to be in the hands of so skilful a grower. The plan of shading adopted in this establishment is much to be commended; the canvas, which is of a special construction, is so fixed that it is kept quite clear of the glass, and a space is thus provided through which the air is constantly passing. In the case of cool Orchids this is of great importance, as it acts so as to moderate any excess of summer heat. We were much pleased to see that Mr. Williams’ large specimen plants, now in flower, are legitimately “grown on” and not “made up” as has lately been much the fashion, a practice which, it may be hoped, the rule now adopted at some exhibitions, to the effect that “made up” plants will disqualify, will put an end to. Many fine species were in bloom, but as the object of this note is not to make a catalogue of them, we will only add that the Cattleyas, Vandas, Odontoglots, and Masdevallias were blooming very freely and were represented by many finely grown specimens.—T. M.