Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
* * * * *
A MONOGRAPH
OF
ODONTOGLOSSUM.
BY
JAMES BATEMAN, ESQ., F.R.S., F.L.S., ETC.,
AUTHOR OF "THE ORCHIDACEÆ OF MEXICO AND GUATEMALA."
[Illustration]
LONDON:
L. REEVE & CO., 5, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN.
1874.
LONDON:
SAVILL, EDWARDS AND CO., PRINTERS, CHANDOS STREET,
COVENT GARDEN.
TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS
ALEXANDRA, PRINCESS OF WALES,
THIS MONOGRAPH
OF A FAVOURITE SECTION OF A CHARMING FAMILY,
COMMENCED ON THE EVE OF HER ROYAL HIGHNESS' ARRIVAL IN THIS HER ADOPTED
COUNTRY,
Is With Permission Dedicated,
BY HER ROYAL HIGHNESS' LOYAL AND OBEDIENT SERVANT,
JAMES BATEMAN.
INTRODUCTION.
At the time (1864) when this Monograph was commenced, the successful
application of the system of cool treatment to Orchids accustomed to a
moderate temperature in their native haunts gave a fresh impulse to the
cultivation of that charming tribe of plants. By its means, what might
almost be regarded as a new Orchid-world, teeming with interest and beauty,
was suddenly brought within our reach. A fresh field was opened to the
enterprise of collectors, the spirits of cultivators revived, and the hopes
of botanists mounted high. Foremost among the spoils that we sought to
secure, stood the various members of the genus ODONTOGLOSSUM, which from
the days of Humboldt[1] and Lexarza, was known to abound in species
pre-eminent for the loveliness and delicacy of their flowers but which had
hitherto mocked the utmost efforts of our most skilful growers. For
although (thanks to the labours of Warczewitz and Lobb) the Horticultural
Society and Messrs. Veitch had more than once received large consignments
of Orchids--among which were many _Odontoglossa_--from the mountain ranges
of New Grenada and Peru, they had invariably succumbed under the stifling
atmosphere to which, in common with the denizens of India, Guiana, or
Madagascar, they were remorselessly consigned. Here and there, indeed, an
accidental success was achieved in a greenhouse, but the hint was turned to
no account, and as a rule--notwithstanding the repeated warnings and
remonstrances of Mr. Skinner, Warczewitz, and others--for thirty years we
persisted in the incredible folly of growing "cool" Orchids in "hot"
stoves; so deeply rooted in the minds of horticulturists was the original
prejudice! But it yielded at last, and no sooner had a few
houses--constructed and managed on the cool-culture system--made it clear
that the Orchids of temperate regions were prepared to submit to the skill
of the cultivator, than a general raid was made upon the more accessible
countries in which they were known to abound--more especially certain
districts in Mexico and New Grenada. To the latter country, collectors were
simultaneously sent off by the Horticultural Society, who despatched Mr.
Weir; by Mr. Linden, of Brussels; and by Messrs. Low, of the Clapton
Nursery; and all these rival envoys, much to their own mortification and
chagrin, found themselves sailing for the same destination in the same
steamer on the same errand!
It was now that the idea occurred to me of devoting a work of adequate
dimensions to the illustration of the particular genus, which from the
dried specimens in our herbaria, the plates in _Pescatorea_, the figures of
Humboldt, and the descriptions of travellers was evidently destined to hold
the first place among all the numerous company of cool Orchids; and thus
began the present Monograph. I had expected that after the work of
importation had fairly commenced, not only would the species described by
Lindley and Reichenbach be easily obtained, but that along with these a
multitude of others entirely new to science would likewise be received. In
this respect, however, the results have scarcely come up to expectations; a
circumstance that is partly to be accounted for by the difficulty attendant
on their importation,[2] but which is owing, I grieve to say, in a far
greater degree to the untimely deaths of those zealous collectors, Bowman
and Pearse, who, when in the very heart of the cool Orchid regions of
Ecuador and Peru, succumbed under the pressure of their arduous labours. In
Mexico, from which much novelty was expected, little has been added to the
number of _Odontoglossa_ previously known, and the same may be said of
Costa Rica, notwithstanding the vigorous exertions of Mr. Endries. But in
these countries it is evident that the genus is not so fully developed as
in the mountain ranges of New Grenada, Quito, and Peru. From the latter
country little indeed has yet been received, although the eastern slopes of
its Andean chain are probably richer in species of unknown or unimported
Orchids than any other portion of the globe. But we must await further
improvements in the navigation of the affluents of the mighty Amazon,
before we can hope to receive any large instalment of these much-coveted
treasures.
A combination of the various causes referred to above, by limiting the
choice of materials, has seriously delayed the publication of this work,
which I had hoped would by this time have reckoned at least a dozen parts.
But as there seems to be no immediate prospect of these hindrances to more
rapid progress being taken out of the way, and as the sands of my life are
fast running out, I have thought it best in the interests of my
subscribers, to make the present number the last. The six parts now
published will, however, form a volume of convenient size, and one which
may, as I trust, serve to show how rich New Grenada is in the members of
this glorious genus. What wealth of _Odontoglossa_ Peru may possess, I must
leave some future botanist to unfold. He will have a pleasant task, and
will probably have doubled the roll of the genus as now known, before his
work is done.
During the progress of this Monograph a curious incident has occurred,
which may deserve a brief notice. When the publication was commenced, the
introduction of two particular plants--more perhaps than of any others
known to orchidists--was earnestly desired by growers, these two being the
_Odontoglossum crispum_ of Lindley, and the _Cuitlauzina pendula_ of
Lexarza. The finding, or rather the re-finding of the former--so
magnificent were the specimens in the Lindleyan Herbarium--was declared to
be worth a king's ransom; while for the latter--described as a native of
Oaxaca--more than one collector had scoured that province in vain. _Strange
to say, they were already in our grasp_: the _O. crispum_ being none other
than my _O. Alexandræ_, while--as explained under Plate VIII.--the
_Cuitlauzina_ proves to be identical with the long previously introduced
_Odontoglossum citrosmum_ of Lindley. Whether all the botanical pressure
that can be brought to bear upon our cultivators may suffice to convert _O.
Alexandræ_ into _O. crispum_, or change _O. citrosmum_ into _O. pendulum_,
is an extremely doubtful question, so strong is the hold that the erroneous
names have already secured on the public mind. In the parallel case of
_Wellingtonia_, that popular Conifer--though now almost universally
admitted to be a _Sequoia_--remains _Wellingtonia_ still, and seems likely
to do so for all time to come.
The range of the genus _Odontoglossum_, as may be gathered from the
descriptions attached to the various Plates, is of a peculiar character,
being at once restricted and extensive. It is restricted, for it never
leaves the Andes, and it is extensive, for it is found in all parts of that
vast mountain-chain, from the confines of Florida to the frontiers of
Chili. As yet no species has ever been met with at a lower elevation than
2500 feet above the sea-level, nor, with the exception of _O. hastilabium_,
has any _Odontoglossum_ been known to descend so low;--the most usual
altitude being 5-6000 feet, though a higher point is often reached. Like
the humming-birds which frequent the same mountains, and vie with them in
beauty, nearly all the _Odontoglossa_ are exceedingly local, and in this
way two of the most beautiful species, _e.g._, _O. vexillarium_ and _O.
Roezlii_, eluded discovery for many years, even in a region supposed to be
well explored by collectors.
As to the botanical limits of the genus, I must needs confess that they are
exceedingly difficult to fix. It is as true now as when Professor Lindley
first made the observation to me, that "The more we build up the partition
walls between _Odontoglossum_, _Oncidium_, &c., the more the species break
them down." Certainly no one at first sight would suppose _Odontoglossum
cariniferum_ was anything but an _Oncidium_, nor _Oncidium macranthum_
other than an _Odontoglossum_. Indeed, I must own to a suspicion that
ultimately both these genera, together with _Miltonia_, _Mesospinidium_,
_Aspasia_, and possibly one or two others, may come to be regarded merely
as _sub_-genera, But this difficult question is safest left in Professor
Reichenbach's far abler hands. At the same time, it is not to be denied
that there is such a peculiar look about the _Odontoglossa_, that even a
non-scientific observer has seldom any difficulty in at once referring most
of the species to their true position.
One other matter remains to which I must very briefly advert. Mr. Darwin's
fascinating work on the "Fertilization" of Orchids has led many persons to
suppose that this beautiful tribe lends an exceptional amount of support to
the theory with which that ingenious writer's name is so prominently
associated, but there could scarcely be a greater mistake. Not only is the
theory in question utterly rejected by Professor Reichenbach, the _facile
princeps_ of living orchidists, but the greater our knowledge of the order,
the less countenance does it seem to yield to the Darwinian view. We have
now become perfectly well acquainted with all the genera--we might almost
say with all the species--that belong to particular countries, but it is in
these that the limits of variation between the different forms are most
distinctly defined; in these, too, the great principle of unity in
diversity is most conspicuous--the genera holding aloof from each other,
and even the species keeping themselves distinct, although the Orchid mark
is unmistakeably stamped upon all alike. Mr. Gould has remarked, in his
great work on the "_Trochilidæ_," that the Darwinian theory derives no
support from _them_, and the same may be safely affirmed of Orchids,
which--we are now speaking of America--are the humming-birds' constant
associates. Neither, while we contemplate the marvellous and inexhaustible
variety of form by which the order is distinguished above all its fellows,
can any plead that this result is due to its ancient lineage, nor yet to
the vast periods through which endless transformations are assumed to have
been continually taking place, because Orchids--according to geologic
reckoning--are but a thing of yesterday, and have never been found in a
fossil state. Yet their constant companions the Ferns, trace back their
pedigree to the earliest vegetation of the primeval world! To the believer,
however, the problem is not hard to solve. Ferns and other flowerless
plants came early in the Divine programme, because the coal, into which
they were to be ultimately converted, had need to be long accumulating for
the future comfort and civilization of our race; while the genesis of
Orchids was postponed until the time drew near when Man, who was to be
soothed by the gentle influence of their beauty, or charmed by the
marvellous variety of their structure, was about to appear upon the scene.
There are multitudes who could bear witness how amply, in their own
experience, this gracious purpose has been fulfilled; while the writer--in
whose breast a love of Orchids prevailed from his youth up--can only
exclaim with the Psalmist, "Thou, Oh Lord, hast made me glad through Thy
works, and I will rejoice in giving thanks for the operation of Thy hand."
J. B.
KNYPERSLEY HALL, _April 24th, 1874_.
LIST OF PLATES.
1. O. nebulosum.
2. O. Uro-Skinneri.
3. O. phalænopsis.
4. O. Insleayii.
5. O. Pescatorei.
6. O. pendulum.
7. O. hastilabium.
8. O. grande.
9. O. nævium.
10. O. cariniferum.
11. O. Lindleyanum.
12. O. gloriosum.
13. (Fig. 1.) O. Warnerianum.
13. (Fig. 2.) O. stellatum.
14. O. Alexandræ.
15. O. Reichenheimii.
16. O. læve.
17. O. luteo-purpureum.
18. O. Bictonense.
19. O. Alexandræ.
20. O. maculatum.
21. O. Hallii.
22. O. roseum.
23. O. triumphans.
24. O. Krameri.
25. O. cordatum.
26. O. angustatum.
27. O. coronarium.
28. O. blandum.
29. O. vexillarium.
30. O. Roezlii.
ALPHABETICAL Index
OF
SPECIES FIGURED IN THIS WORK,
WITH SYNONYMS MARKED IN ITALICS.
O. angustatum Plate 26
_O. ramosissimum, Lindl._
O. Bictonense " 18
_Cyrtochilum Bictoniense, Bateman._
O. blandum " 20
O. cariniferum " 10
O. cordatum " 25
O. coronarium " 27
O. crispum Plate 14, " 19
_O. Alexandræ, Bateman._
_O. Bluntii, Rchb. fil._
O. gloriosum " 12
O. grande " 8
O. Hallii " 21
O. hastilabium " 7
O. Insleayii " 4
O. læve " 16
O. Lindleyanum " 11
O. luteo-purpureum " 17
_O. hystrix, Bateman._
_O. radiatum, Rehb. fil._
O. maculatum " 20
O. nævium " 9
O. nebulosum " 1
O. pendulum " 6
_O. citrosmum, Lindl._
_Cuitlauzina pendula, La Llave._
O. Pescatorei " 5
O. phalænopsis " 3
O. Reichenheimii " 15
O. Roezlii " 30
O. roseum " 22
O. stellatum " 13
O. triumphans " 23
O. Uro-Skinneri " 2
O. vexillarium " 29
O. Warnerianum " 13
Plate I
[Illustration: Odontoglossum nebulosum.]
PLATE I.
ODONTOGLOSSUM NEBULOSUM, _Lindley_.
CLOUDED ODONTOGLOSSUM.
O. (LEUCOGLOSSUM, _Lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis 2-3-phyllis,
foliis oblongis acutis basi conduplicatis pedunculo radicali erecto
(apice) nutante 3-7-floro brevioribus, bracteis scariosis amplexicaulibus
ovario duplo brevioribus, sepalis petalisque latioribus membranaceis
oblongis undulatis apiculis recurvis, labelli ungue cucullato carnoso,
lamellis duabus erectis dentibusque totidem anticis, limbo ovato acuto
dentato subpubescente, columnâ apterâ elongatâ. (_Lindl. quibusdam
mutatis_.)
ODONTOGLOSSUM NEBULOSUM, _Lindl. Fol. Orch._
ODONTOGLOSSUM MAXILLARE, _Lemaire (nec Lindley), Illustration Horticole_
(1859), _t._ 200.
Habitat in Mexico, prope Oaxaca (_Karwinski_, _Galeotti_, etc.),
_circiter 5000 ft._
DESCRIPTION.
PSEUDOBULBS _2 to 3 inches long, smooth, ovate, somewhat compressed, 2-
or 3-leaved_. LEAVES _2 or 3 at the apex of the pseudobulbs, oblong,
acute, shorter than the_ SCAPE, _which, rising from the base of the
pseudobulbs, is bent down at its upper extremity by the weight of from 3
to 7 large and handsome_ FLOWERS. BRACTS _only half the length of the
ovary, embracing the flower-stem_. SEPALS _1½ inches long_. PETALS _much
wider than the sepals, and like them of an oblong form, waved at the
margin, and a little recurved at the end, which is sharply pointed; both
sepals and petals are of clear membranous white, clouded (as the name
implies) by a profusion of spots or blotches of a reddish-brown colour,
which extend to nearly half their length_. LIP _of the same texture and
colour as the sepals, only that the brown blotches are broader, and that
there is a patch of yellow on the claw; its upper portion is of an ovate
form, acute, with the margins very much torn; its fleshy dish is hooded,
or gathered into 2 erect plates, with a pair of teeth attached in front_.
COLUMN _very long, destitute of wings_.
It was at Munich, in the year 1835, that I first became acquainted with
this fine _Odontoglossum_ having, through the kindness of Professor Von
Martius, been allowed to examine the rich collection of dried specimens
that Baron Karwinski had then recently brought home with him from Mexico.
Two years afterwards living plants were sent to me from Oaxaca, which
happening to arrive in the midst of that remarkably severe winter 1837-38,
I naturally expected would have been destroyed on their way; so far,
however, from this being the case, they appeared to have sustained little
or no injury from the cold, and on being placed in a stove they soon began
to push both roots and leaves. All went well so long as the temperature of
the house did not exceed 70°, but when the winter had passed away and they
had to face the intense heat at which the Orchid-houses of that period were
ordinarily maintained, they then quickly lost their vigour and before a
twelvemonth had passed were all gone, victims--like a multitude of other
invaluable plants--to our then ignorance of the conditions under which
alone the Orchids of _cool_ countries could be expected to thrive!
I am not aware that this plant ever flowered in this country until within
the last year or two, certainly no figure of it has ever been published in
any English botanical periodical; I have, however, found in a French work
(the _Illustration Horticole_), under the name of _O. maxillare_, what is
obviously the same as the plant represented in the Plate. I should myself
have probably fallen into the same mistake as Professor Lemaire, had I not
enjoyed the opportunity--which he unfortunately had not--of examining the
original specimens in Dr. Lindley's herbarium, and from which that able
botanist drew up his description (in the _Folia Orchidacea_) of the two
species. _O. maxillare_, of which Dr. Lindley only examined a single
flower--though he made a most careful drawing--is shown by a glance at the
latter, to be a totally different thing; it has moreover, I fear, long
since disappeared from our collections. In Dr. Lindley's description the
flower-scape is said to be terminal, which in nature it never is, although
from the way in which Karwinski's wild specimen was glued together, it
certainly presents that appearance in the herbarium. The column moreover,
and the base of the sepals and petals, are said to be pubescent, though
nothing of the kind is visible to the naked eye when the flowers are fresh.
With a powerful magnifying glass pubescence may certainly be seen.
_Odontoglossum nebulosum_ flowers at different seasons of the year, always
sending up its scape at the same time as the young growth. It is of the
easiest culture.[3] The figure was derived from a beautiful specimen that
flowered last November in the collection of J. Day, Esq., of Tottenham, who
grows this and many other _Odontoglossa_ in high perfection.
DISSECTIONS.--1. Lip, seen in front; 2. Ditto, seen sideways: _both
magnified_.
Plate II
[Illustration: Odontoglossum Uro-Skinneri.]
PLATE II.
ODONTOGLOSSUM URO-SKINNERI, _Lindl_.
MR. SKINNER'S ODONTOGLOSSUM.
O. (LEUCOGLOSSUM, _Lindl_.) pseudobulbis ovato-oblongis ancipitibus
compressis guttulatis 1-2-phyllis, foliis oblongis acuminatis scapo
multifloro simplici vel subpaniculato multo brevioribus, bracteis
membranaceis cymbiformibus acuminatis ovario 3-plo brevioribus, petalis
sepalisque subæqualibus late-ovatis acuminatis, labelli ungue bilamellato
limbo cordato maculato acuminato undulato, columnæ alis ovatis deflexis.
ODONTOGLOSSUM URO-SKINNERI, _Gardeners' Chronicle_, vol. 1859, pp. 708,
724.
Habitat in GUATEMALA, prope Santa Catarina de los Altos, 5-6000 _ft_.,
_Skinner_.
DESCRIPTION.
PSEUDOBULBS 3 _or_ 4 _inches long by nearly as many wide, much flattened,
and very sharp at the edges, always powdered with minute brown dots,
which do not appear until the second year_. LEAVES _oblong, broad, and
stiff, acuminate at their extremities, much shorter than the scape_.
SCAPE _generally simple, but sometimes slightly panicled, about a yard
high, and bearing from_ 10 _to_ 20 _agreeably scented_ FLOWERS. _Bracts_
_of a delicate texture, boat-shaped, scarcely more than one-third the
length of the ovary_. SEPALS _and_ PETALS _nearly equal, broadly ovate,
about an inch long, of a green colour, covered with rich
reddish-brown spots_. LIP _broad and spreading, heart-shaped, acuminate,
and turned inwards at the apex, its disk white, but covered with
round blue spots, which cease at the foot of the isthmus (claw),
where two upright and nearly parallel lamellæ (plates) are stationed_.
COLUMN _furnished with ovate, decurved, round-headed wings_.
This is a robust and stately plant, nearly allied to _O. Bictoniense_ to
which at one time Dr. Lindley was disposed to refer it, but far larger and
handsomer in all its parts. Its broad pseudobulbs which become covered in
their second year with a multitude of small reddish dots, its wide sepals
and petals, the spotting of its lip, and its general resemblance to
_Zygopetalum Mackaii_ will, however, sufficiently distinguish it. Being
found at a higher elevation than _O. Bictoniense_, it requires to be kept
more cool, and as it affects dark and wet banks in its native wilds, it is
better to place it in a north house where it can be more readily protected
from the sun. Treated in this way it grows luxuriantly and flowers
abundantly at Knypersley, whence the specimen figured in the Plate was
derived. Its flowering season seems to vary, for while with me it is now
(May) coming into bloom, about London November is the more usual month.
_O. Uro-Skinneri_ was the latest discovery of my indefatigable friend Mr.
Skinner (after whom it was named by Dr. Lindley), and who, though now
settled in England, is as much devoted to his favourite tribe as when,
while resident in Guatemala, he was wont to delight the Orchidists of
Europe by the multitude of new and beautiful plants that he was constantly
dispatching across the main.
DISSECTION.--1. Side view of lip and column: _magnified_.
Plate III
[Illustration: Odontoglossum phalænopsis.]
PLATE III.
ODONTOGLOSSUM PHALÆNOPSIS, _Rchb. fil_.
MOTH-LIKE ODONTOGLOSSUM.
O. (LEUCOGLOSSUM, _Lindl_.) pseudobulbis ovatis obtuse ancipitibus
1-2-phyllis, foliis linearibus acutissimis racemis bi- vel trifloris
spithamæis longioribus, sepalis oblongo-ligulatis acutis, petalis
latioribus obovatis obtusis; labelli ampli pandurati emarginati
bilamelligeri disco velutino, columnæ alis abbreviatis membranaceis.
ODONTOGLOSSUM PHALÆNOPSIS, _Rchb. fil. in Seemann Bonplandia_, ii. 278;
_Pescatorea, Linden et Rchb. fil_. ii. 44.
MILTONIA PULCHELLA, _Hort_.
Habitat in N. GRANADA, prope Aspasica, alt. 5-6000 ft., _Schlim_.
DESCRIPTION.
_Terrestrial_. PSEUDOBULBS _nearly two inches long, ovate, bearing one,
or more frequently two, narrow linear, very acute_ LEAVES, _less than a
foot long, and usually withered at the extremities_. RACEME _nodding,
shorter than the leaves, furnished with a few small acute_ BRACTS, _and
bearing two, or occasionally three, very large and handsome flowers,
which, the markings of the lip excepted, are of a uniform white_. SEPALS
_oblong, sharp-pointed, about an inch long_. PETALS _broader than the
sepals, obtuse_. LIP _fiddle-shaped, its front portion deeply emarginate,
spread out nearly flat, very broad, its side portions much smaller,
rounded, and with two continuous upright lamellæ on its velvety disk; the
lip has two large irregular pale-crimson blotches on its anterior
portion, with concentric lines of the same colour on its lower portion,
with a small patch of yellow on either side the isthmus_ (i.e. _point of
junction between the upper and lower divisions of the lip_). COLUMN
_short, with membranous wings much abbreviated_.
This most charming _Odontoglossum_ was discovered in the year 1850 by M.
Schlim at that time engaged in exploring the higher regions of New Granada
in the service of M. Linden to whose well-known horticultural establishment
at Brussels he had the honour of introducing it. The species was seen in
flower for the first time in the year 1856 when it appeared at some
Horticultural Exhibitions both on the Continent and in London and, as may
readily be conceived, attracted universal admiration. Since that time its
lovely blossoms have been rarely produced, owing no doubt to its
cultivation having been imperfectly understood. It has however, I believe,
bloomed occasionally in the collection of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland,
and more recently in that of E. McMorland, Esq., of Haverstock Hill, with
whom it thrives amazingly, and to whose kindness I am indebted for the
opportunity of figuring it. In its native country it is found in a mild
climate growing on the ground, or upon rocks in moist and shady situations,
and by simply imitating these conditions Mr. McMorland cultivates it with
the most perfect success. His plants are kept in pots, with living moss on
the surface, and their base resting in pans of water the evaporation from
which cannot fail to be highly beneficial. The temperature of the house in
which they are grown is that of an ordinary greenhouse, but the air is
always humid, and water is freely given because, in consequence of the
_open potting_, it can pass as freely away. The plants seem to grow and
flower almost all the year round, though their proper and principal
flowering-season is in May and June.
_O. phalænopsis_ is entirely distinct from any species of the genus yet in
cultivation, but it is allied to a still finer plant detected by Warszewicz
in Costa Rica, and called in honour of its discoverer _O. Warszewiczii_ by
Professor Reichenbach.
DISSECTIONS.--1. Lip. seen sideways; and 2. Front view of lip: _both
magnified_.
Plate IV
[Illustration: Odontoglossum Insleayii.]
PLATE IV.
ODONTOGLOSSUM INSLEAYI, _Lindl_.
INSLEAY'S ODONTOGLOSSUM.
O. (EUODONTOGLOSSUM, _Lindl_.) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis diphyllis,
foliis coriaceis oblongo-ensiformibus subundulatis apice recurvis racemo
5-10-floro erecto rigido brevioribus, sepalis petalisque oblongis
subæqualibus undulatis infimis connatis, labello angusto obovato retuso
basi auriculato, disci cristâ apice bilobâ dilatatâ utrinque in medio
dente refracto auctâ, columnæ alis incurvis cirrhatis. (_Lindl. Fol.
Orch._)
ONCIDIUM INSLEAYI, _Barker in Bot. Reg._ 1840, _Misc._ 21; _Bateman,
Orchid. Mex. et Guat. t. 21_; _Van Houtte, Flore des Serres,_ 1848, _t._
62.
Habitat in MEXICO, _Barker_; OAXACA, _Loddiges_; 5-6000 _ft._
DESCRIPTION.
PSEUDOBULBS _ovate, slightly furrowed, compressed, bearing 2 leathery,
sword-shaped, sharp-pointed_ LEAVES, _which are less than a foot long,
and like the rest of the plant of a glaucous hue_. SCAPE _upright, longer
than the leaves, bearing from 5 to 10 flowers, usually from 2 to 3 inches
in diameter, but sometimes considerably more_. BRACTS _few, about an inch
long, occurring at intervals somewhat longer than themselves, and fitting
tightly to the stem_. SEPALS _and_ PETALS _nearly equal, oblong, waved,
the two lateral ones attached at their base, of a pale yellowish-green
tint, crossed throughout their entire length by broad bands of
reddish-brown_. LIP _narrow, obovate, turned a little back, of a bright
yellow colour, bordered by a belt of red blotches; on its disk are a
group of tubercles, mounting two teeth on either side, and with cleft
callus in front_. COLUMN-WINGS _bent inwards, and resembling in form the
antennæ of an insect_.
This _Odontoglossum_ was originally introduced from Mexico by the late Mr.
Barker, of Birmingham, after whose gardener it was named by Dr. Lindley. It
flowered with Mr. Barker somewhere about the year 1840, when a figure was
prepared for the 'Orchidaceæ of Mexico and Guatemala,' but I had not then
the opportunity of examining the plant, nor indeed did I ever actually see
it in flower until the autumn of last year (1863) when I happened to meet
with the specimen from which the illustration is derived, growing and
blooming vigorously in the collection of Dr. Cauty, of Liverpool. The
species had, in fact, virtually disappeared from collections during an
interregnum of twenty years, and its reappearance is entirely due to the
adoption of the rational system of cool treatment now happily prevailing,
and under which it may be cultivated with the greatest ease.
In habit _O. Insleayi_ is quite indistinguishable from _O. grande_; and
although its flowers are far inferior in beauty to those of that glorious
species, they bear a certain sort of resemblance to them in their colouring
and general arrangement. The structure is however entirely different, for
while _O. grande_ has no bristle-like appendages to its column, and
therefore belongs to the section of the genus which has been called
XANTHOGLOSSUM by Dr. Lindley, the processes in question are clearly present
(see Dissections) in the case of _O. Insleayi_, thereby bringing it under
the preceding section, to which the title of EUODONTOGLOSSUM has been given
by the same authority. The time and mode of flowering are also different in
the two plants, for while in _O. grande_ the flower-scapes appear almost
simultaneously with the leaves, and are usually in perfection in July,
those of _O. Insleayi_ are not produced until long after the pseudobulbs
have been matured, nor do they expand their blossoms until late in the
autumn.
As is the case with most of its congeners, there are many varieties of _O.
Insleayi_, some of which are much less attractive in their colouring than
the one represented in the Plate, while others have much larger flowers, as
in the example given in the vignette which is copied from an old woodcut in
the Journal of the Horticultural Society. Unfortunately this latter variety
has, I greatly fear, been lost to the country, but collectors should
endeavour to reintroduce it.
I have already referred to Dr. Cauty's success in the treatment of the
subject of the present Plate, but his skill and care are equally
conspicuous in the management of a miscellaneous collection of Orchids,
which he contrives to grow under circumstances such as would have deterred
most men from attempting to grow any plants at all. The house in which he
lives is in the very centre of Liverpool, and has in its rear a small back
court, such as is usually devoted to dustbins and coal-holes, but where Dr.
Cauty has found space for three little Orchid-houses of different
temperatures in which the Orchids of different climes are perfectly at
home. I can really see no reason why in all large towns--in London more
especially--Dr. Cauty's example should not be extensively followed, and the
luxury of an Orchid-house be thus brought within the reach of many who now
consider it quite beyond their grasp.
DISSECTIONS.--1. Lip, seen sideways; 2. Ditto, seen in front: _both
magnified_.
[Illustration: Flower (_nat. size_) of a large variety of _O. Insleayi_.]
Plate V
[Illustration: Odontoglossum Pescatorei.]
PLATE V.
ODONTOGLOSSUM PESCATOREI, _Lindley_.
M. PESCATORE'S ODONTOGLOSSUM.
O. (ISANTHIUM, _Lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis lævigatis nebulosis
diphyllis, foliis loratis planis basi angustatis paniculâ amplâ erectâ
multiflorâ 3-plo brevioribus, bracteis minutis, floribus membranaceis,
sepalis ovato-oblongis apiculatis leviter undulatis, petalis conformibus
latioribus, labello cuspidato subpandurato basi denticulato, cristæ
lamellis lateralibus distantibus cartilagineis laceris lineis duabus
divergentibus apice denticulatis interjectis, columnæ brevis alis
brevibus cuneatis laceris. (_Lindl. Fol. Orch., quibusdam mutatis._)
ODONTOGLOSSUM PESCATOREI, _Lindley, in Paxton's Flower Garden, iii. t.
90_; _Pescatorea, t. 1_; _Warner's Select Orchidaceous Plants, t. 25._
ODONTOGLOSSUM NOBILE, _Reichenbach fil. in Linnæa_, 22, 850.
Habitat in NEW GRANADA, Province of Pamplona, at the height of from 5000
to 6000 feet, _Funck and Schlim_.
DESCRIPTION.
PSEUDOBULBS _from 2 to 3 inches long, of an ovate form, glossy, and
mottled with dark brown, usually bearing 2 lorate_ LEAVES, _which are
from 6 inches to a foot long, narrowed at the base and sharp at the end,
much shorter than the tall upright branched_ PANICLE, _which sometimes
rises to the height of 3 feet, and bears from 6 to 60 membranous_ FLOWERS
_of a peculiarly delicate texture_. BRACTS _very small_. SEPALS
_ovate-oblong, apiculate, slightly waved at the edges, an inch long,
white with streaks of rose-colour_. PETALS _similar in form and texture
to the sepals, but broader and more curled at the edges, of the purest
white_. LIP _inclining to fiddle-shape, pointed, but with the point
invisible when looked at in front; towards the base are two short upright
tubercles that pass forward into plates diverging from each other, and
toothed in front. On either side are two pseudo-wings, irregularly
indented, and, like the plates, of a beautiful gold colour, streaked with
red. The rest of the lip is white, with the exception of a few irregular
blotches of crimson, the number and size and disposition of which vary
considerably in different individuals_. COLUMN _short, with short
wedge-shaped_ WINGS, _a little indented at the edges_.
This lovely plant was discovered in the year 1847 by MM. Funck and Schlim
when on a botanical mission to New Granada, in the service of M. Linden.
According to its discoverers, it is not unfrequently met with in the
provinces of Pamplona and Ocaña, at an elevation above the sea-level of
about 5000 feet, inhabiting the oak forests which--where the climate is
mild--clothe the eastern slopes of the glorious Cordillera.
_O. Pescatorei_ flowered with M. Linden for the first time in 1851, and
attracted, as well it might, universal admiration. Nothing indeed, even in
the beautiful family to which it belongs, can surpass the delicacy of its
blossoms, with their charming mixture of rose and white, relieved by a few
deep-crimson stains scattered irregularly over the lip. Its habit too is
good, and its stately panicle of flowers well-proportioned to the size of
the bulbs and leaves. It blooms abundantly in the spring months, and its
blossoms continue at least six weeks in perfection. We need not wonder that
a plant with such a rare combination of good qualities should have been
selected by M. Linden to do honour to his patron the late M. Pescatore,
after whom he named it, and in whose sumptuous work ('Pescatorea') it forms
the first plate.
Although the species, owing to the difficulty of importing it alive, is
still exceedingly rare in this country, it has already flowered in many of
the principal collections, especially in those of Mr. Rucker, Mr. Basset,
Mr. Day, and Mr. Dawson, of Meadow Bank near Edinburgh. With the last-named
gentleman a panicle, with sixty flowers upon it, is now (April, 1864) in
full beauty. Mr. Fitch's drawing was taken from an exquisite variety, of
which Mr. Day is the fortunate possessor, and which he kindly placed at my
disposal for the purpose of being figured in this Work. In the Plate the
flower-spike is represented as panicled because such--as in the case of all
the other varieties--is no doubt its normal state; as yet however racemes
only have been produced.
The treatment recommended for other _Odontoglossa_ (see under Plate I.)
will suit _O. Pescatorei_, which is as easily managed as any of the genus.
DISSECTIONS.--1. Lip, seen sideways; 2. Lip, front view: _magnified_.
[Illustration]
Plate VI
[Illustration: Odontoglossum pendulum.]
PLATE VI.
ODONTOGLOSSUM PENDULUM.
PENDENT-FLOWERED ODONTOGLOSSUM.
O. (TRYMENIUM) pseudobulbis subrotundis compressis lævibus diphyllis,
foliis oblongo-ligulatis obtusis racemo pendulo multifloro paulo
brevioribus, sepalis oblongis obtusis petalisque conformibus
subæqualibus, labello unguiculato reniformi basi excavato marginibus
callosis, clinandrii alis lateralibus subtruncatis dorsalique rotundato
denticulatis.
ODONTOGLOSSUM CITROSMUM, _Lindl. Bot. Reg._ 1842, _Misc._ 68; 1843, _t._
3; _Fol. Orch. n._ 59; _Warner's Select Orchidaceous Plants_, _t._ 28;
_Lemaire_, _Jard. Fl._ _t._ 90.
CUITLAUZINA PENDULA, _La Llace et Lexarza_, _Orch. Mex._ 2; _Reichenbach,
fil._, _Bonplandia_, iii. 15, 16.
Habitat in MEXICO, _Lexarza_, _Karwinski_, _Barker_.
DESCRIPTION.
PSEUDOBULBS _clustered together, 2 to 4 inches long, compressed, ovate or
almost round, smooth and glossy, 2-leaved_. LEAVES _6 inches to a foot
long, leathery, oblong-ligulate, obtuse, rather shorter than the raceme_.
RACEME _issuing at an early stage from the young growth, pendulous,
many-flowered, rarely branched, longer than the leaves_. SEPALS _and_
PETALS _similar in form, pure white, or in some varieties of a faint
blush or rose-colour, frequently sprinkled with minute red dots, oblong,
obtuse, about an inch long_. LIP _unguiculate, kidney-shaped, channelled
(with the solid edges turned up) along its base, on which there is a
patch of yellow, with a few bright dots in the position where a crest
(here entirely wanting) is usually placed; the colour of the disk of the
lip varies in different specimens, being sometimes entirely white and
sometimes tipped with faint rose-colour or deep-crimson_. COLUMN _with
upper and lower wings (all of which are toothed), that on the back being
rounded and the others truncated_.
Early in the present century, two Spaniards--La Llave and Lexarza by
name--settled at the Mexican town of Valladolid, in the fertile province of
Mechoacan. They were both attached to botany, but the younger of the two,
Lexarza, was so attracted by the beauty of the numerous Orchids of the
district that to these he devoted himself with an ardour that would have
done honour even to the Lindleys and Reichenbachs of our own day. As the
result of his labours a little work--'Orchidianum Opusculum' he modestly
styled it--presently made its appearance, wherein about fifty species, all
at that time new to science, were described with remarkable accuracy and
skill. Among the number there was a plant,--_Cuitlauzina pendula_ he called
it,--said to be of surpassing loveliness and to form an undoubtedly new
genus the distinctive characters of which were minutely given. As time went
on and the rage for Orchids developed itself in Europe, a keen desire was
naturally felt by cultivators to add so fine a plant to their lists; but
although many collectors visited Valladolid and laid hands upon nearly all
the other desirable Orchids described by Lexarza, still nothing was heard
of the _Cuitlauzina_, and on the cover of the latest number of Dr.
Lindley's 'Folia Orchidacea' its name may be found in the list of genera
"unknown to the author." About the same time I myself addressed a letter to
the 'Gardeners' Chronicle' urging some adventurous traveller to take ship
for New Spain, mainly with the object of instituting another search for the
tantalizing plant that had hitherto eluded our grasp. Yet all this while
_Cuitlauzina pendula_ was amongst us, and indeed had been an established
favourite for upwards of twenty years! But if so, it may well be asked, how
came it to pass that it was never recognized? For a full reply to this very
natural inquiry I must refer the reader to a most ingenious article in
'Bonplandia' (Jahrg. iii. No. 15, 16), by the younger Reichenbach, to whom
all the credit is due of having solved a great botanical puzzle, and proved
to demonstration that the _Cuitlauzina pendula_ of Lexarza is none other
than the _Odontoglossum citrosmum_ of Lindley.[4]
Under these circumstances, however undesirable the meddling with
established names, I scarcely see how, in common justice to Lexarza, we can
do otherwise than adopt his specific name of _pendula_, more especially as
it happens that the plant to which he originally gave it remains to this
day the only one out of nearly a hundred _Odontoglossa_ that has
flower-stems which are strictly _pendulous_.
Our gardens contain many varieties of _O. pendulum_, of which, though all
are beautiful, some are far superior to others. That represented in the
Plate, and which forms a part of Mr. Rucker's collection, is among the
best. Mr. Rucker keeps it in his coolest house, where it is perfectly at
home, and produces a profusion of its lovely drooping racemes in May and
June. It should always be grown in a pot.
DISSECTIONS.--1. Front view of lip and column; 2. Side view of ditto:
_magnified_.
Plate VII
[Illustration: Odontoglossum hastilabium.]
PLATE VII.
ODONTOGLOSSUM HASTILABIUM, _Lindley_.
HALBERT-LIPPED ODONTOGLOSSUM.
O. (Isanthium, _Lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis 1-2-phyllis,
foliis oblongis coriaceis, paniculæ exaltatæ ramis spicatis, bracteis
cymbiformibus acuminatis ovario æqualibus, sepalis petalisque
lineari-lanceolatis acuminatis undulatis, labello apice subrotundo-ovato
acuto basi auriculis acutis lanceolatis porrectis aucto, lamellis 5
elevatis, columnæ alis obsolete undulatis, margine versus basin
membranaceo dilatato.
ODONTOGLOSSUM HASTILABIUM, _Lindley_, _Orchid. Linden._ _n._ 84;
_Hooker_, _Bot. Mag._ _t._ 4272; _Pescatorea_, _t._ 11.
Habitat in NOV. GRANADA: Tesqua, in the province of Pamplona, at the
elevation of 2500 feet, April, _Linden_; on the road from Santa Martha to
the Sierra Nevada, _Purdie_; Ocaña, January, 5-6000 feet, _Schlim_,
_Wagener_, _Blunt_.
DESCRIPTION.
PSEUDOBULBS _compressed, ovate, 3 to 6 inches long, bearing 1 or 2
oblong, leathery_ LEAVES, _not more than a third the length of the
scape_. BRACTS _boat-shaped, acuminate, equal in length to the ovary_.
SCAPE _very robust, from 2 to 6 feet high, panicled, bearing from 20 to
100 flowers_. SEPALS _and_ PETALS _1½ to 2 inches long,
linear-lanceolate, acuminate, slightly waved at the margin, of a
pale-green, barred with numerous lines of dark-red or purple_. LIP
_halbert-shaped, purple at the base, but white in its upper portion,
which is of a roundish-ovate form, pointed at the extremity; its crest
consists of 2 outer and 2 interior plates, the taller stretching forward
beyond the former, with a linear-oval callosity in the centre_. COLUMN
_expanding at its base on either side into an inflexed membrane_.
As this stately _Odontoglossum_ is met with at a much lower elevation than
any of its congeners, it is constitutionally less impatient of heat, and
has therefore been able to accommodate itself to artificial conditions
under which others of its race in former years have pined and died. But
although in some parts of New Granada it descends as low as 2500 feet, its
more frequent range is 2000 feet higher up the mountains, and it is in such
situations that it attains its greatest luxuriance and beauty. Some
imported specimens that I was fortunate enough to see last year (1864) at
the Clapton Nursery, whither they had been sent by Mr. Blunt, had
flower-stems half an inch thick and fully 6 feet high. These were gathered
at an elevation of at least 4000 feet above the sea-level and, as they
arrived in excellent condition and have been extensively distributed, I
have little doubt we shall ere long see cultivated specimens that may vie
with the wild ones in stature and magnificence. Its flowering season is the
spring or early summer.
The figure was taken in May last from a plant in Mr. Rucker's collection
where it is grown at the coolest end of the Cattleya-house.
DISSECTION.--1. Front view of lip and column; 2. Side view of ditto:
_magnified_.
Plate VIII
[Illustration: Odontoglossum grande.]
PLATE VIII.
ODONTOGLOSSUM GRANDE, _Lindley_.
GREAT ODONTOGLOSSUM.
O. (XANTHOGLOSSUM) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis diphyllis, foliis
coriaceis oblongo-ensiformibus scapo simplici brevioribus, sepalis
lanceolatis lateralibus convexis falcatis petalisque oblongis
obtusiusculis latioribus subundulatis, labello subrotundo basi auriculato
sepalis plus duplo breviore, disci cristâ apice truncatâ bituberculatâ
utrinque in medio dente calloque auctâ, columnæ tomentosæ auriculis
rotundatis convexis incurvis.
ODONTOGLOSSUM GRANDE, _Lindl. in Bot. Reg._ 1840, _Misc._ 94; _Bateman_,
_Orchid. Mex._ _t._ 21; _Morren. Ann. Gand._ i. _t._ 37.
Habitat in GUATEMALA, _Skinner_, _Hartweg_.
DESCRIPTION.
PSEUDOBULBS _compressed, broadly ovate, 2 or 3 inches long, bearing 1 or
more frequently_ 2 _leathery, oblong-ensiform_ LEAVES, _which, as well as
the pseudobulbs, have always more or less of a pale-glaucous hue_. SCAPE
_twice the length of the leaves, 4-8-flowered_. BRACTS _sheathing, acute,
half the length of the ovary_. FLOWERS _very large, in some varieties 7
inches or more from the tip of expanded petals_. SEPALS _lanceolate, the
lateral ones convex and falcate_. PETALS _wider than the sepals, and,
like them, of a rich yellow colour, marked with large deep-cinnamon bands
and blotches, oblong, somewhat obtuse at their extremities, and slightly
waved at the margin_. LIP _not half the length of the sepals, nearly
round, whitish, with a few crimson stains near the crest, which is of
rich orange-yellow, marked with deep-orange spots, and is seated on the
disk of the lip; it consists of 2 large truncate processes in front, with
2 or 4 small teeth at its base; its auricles turn their edges down until
they meet under the disk of the lip, and there grow together_. COLUMN
_downy, with a rounded, incurved, convex auricle on either side_.
Mr. Skinner was the fortunate discoverer of this noble _Odontoglossum_
which to this day remains unsurpassed, even among all the fine additions
that have of late years been made to the genus. Mr. Skinner found it in a
"barranca" (or dark ravine) in the environs of the city of Guatemala, and
so closely had it lain concealed that even his quick eye failed to detect
it until long after he had, as he thought, exhausted the district of all
its finest Orchids. It was afterwards met with in other localities, but
invariably in a climate of which the ordinary range of temperature lay
between 60° and 70°, and in situations where it was secure of abundant
moisture and constant shade. In these peculiarities of its natural habitat
the conditions of its successful cultivation are clearly pointed out; yet,
strange to say, they were unheeded for twenty years, during which the
plants in our Orchid-houses were always in a feeble and sickly state,
rarely producing more than two or three flowers on a scape, while the
imported specimens showed that at least double that number was the proper
quota. Now, however, the case is different, for with a mild temperature and
moderate shade they are found to be managed with the most perfect ease and
to grow with a vigour that could never have been exceeded in their native
wilds. In proof of this we need only turn to the vignette, which is copied
from a beautiful photograph kindly sent to me by Joshua Saunders, Esq., and
which represents a specimen of _O. grande_ as it appeared when flowering in
his collection at Clifton. As a further evidence of the ease with which the
plant may be grown I may mention that under the care of Major Trevor Clarke
it has been induced to bloom in the open air during the summer months.
This, however, must only be looked upon as an interesting experiment and is
not recommended for imitation. _O. grande_ usually flowers in July or
August, when the season's growth is nearly completed; after this it should
be allowed to rest. Mr. Fitch's drawing was taken from a handsome variety
that flowered last year (1864) in a north house at Knypersley, and which
had been given me by Mr. Skinner.[5]
DISSECTIONS.--1. Front view of column and labellum; 2. Side view of ditto:
_slightly magnified_.
[Illustration: Plant of _Odontoglossum grande_ in the collection of Joshua
Saunders, Esq., copied from a photograph taken by himself.]
Plate IX
[Illustration: Odontoglossum nævium.]
PLATE IX.
ODONTOGLOSSUM NÆVIUM, _Lindley_.
SPECKLED ODONTOGLOSSUM.
O. (EUODONTOGLOSSUM) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis, foliis tenuibus
lanceolatis basi angustatis scapo racemoso vel subpaniculato multifloro
nutante subæqualibus vel longioribus, sepalis petalisque angustis
ovato-lanceolatis acuminatis undulatis, labello subconformi pubescente
vix hastato, cristæ dentibus 2 grossis bi- vel subtrilobis pubescentibus,
columnæ cirrhis subulatis patulis.