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.
[Illustration: PL. 4.
EPIDENDRUM VITELLINUM MAJUS.]
EPIDENDRUM VITELLINUM MAJUS.
[Plate 4.]
Native of Mexico.
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.
[Illustration: PL. 5.
MASDEVALLIA SHUTTLEWORTHII.]
MASDEVALLIA SHUTTLEWORTHII.
[Plate 5.]
Native of the United States of Colombia.
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.
[Illustration: PL. 6.
CATTLEYA MORGANÆ]
CATTLEYA MORGANÆ.
[Plate 6.]
Native of the United States of Colombia.
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.
[Illustration: PL. 7.
PROMENÆA CITRINA.]
PROMENÆA CITRINA.
[Plate 7.]
Native of Brazil.
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.
[Illustration: PL. 8.
CYPRIPEDIUM STONEI.]
CYPRIPEDIUM STONEI.
[Plate 8.]
Native of Borneo.
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_.
[Illustration: PL. 9-10.
LÆLIA PURPURATA WILLIAMSII.]
LÆLIA PURPURATA WILLIAMSII.
[Plates 9-10.]
Native of St. Catherine’s, Brazil.
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.
[Illustration: PL. 11.
PHALÆNOPSIS AMABILIS DAYANA.]
PHALÆNOPSIS AMABILIS DAYANA.
[Plate 11.]
Native of the Eastern Archipelago.
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.