34 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
flowers arranged in masses, similar to the chrysanthemum 
show. The habits and manner of growth of orchids do not 
permit their propagation in the same way as chrysanthemums, 
and it is necessary to secure the plants from their native 
home. Since the famous Brownhurst orchid collection was 
given to the Garden by the late D. S. Brown, it has been 
possible to remove the exhibit of orchids from the alcoves 
to the floral display house where hundreds of blooming plants 
from all parts of the tropical world are shown. The general 
public have become acquainted with the large mauve variety 
of orchid through its commercial use and are not so much 
interested in the smaller less showy varieties. In fact, they 
do not consider some of the rarest plants as orchids at all or 
if so regard them with disappointment. Therefore, in order 
to bring the orchid show to the same high degree of excellence 
as the ‘“‘mum show”’ and similar exhibits it becomes necessary 
to obtain the popular favorites in quantity. With this in 
view the expedition to the tropics is being planned. The 
genus Cattleya includes many species which flower at different 
months of the year. These make their home in the mountain 
ranges at an elevation of 8000-10000 feet, ofttimes in almost 
inaccessible places. Once secured they are brought down the 
mountain slopes by pack-mule to the nearest town, where the 
plants are carefully sorted and packed and transported by 
water to the sea-coast. Here they are shipped by steamer to 
the port of entry in the United States. 
The favorite haunts of the various species of Cattleya are 
the mountain ranges of Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, 
Keuador, British Guiana, and Brazil, each variety being prac- 
tically indigenous to a special locality. The species most 
desired at the Garden are those flowering in January and 
February, and these are Cattleya Trianae and Cattleya 
Schroederae. The former is found in the upper Magdalena 
near Natagaima on the Saldana River of Colombia and the 
latter in the Llanos de Cassanare on the Venezuelan border 
of the same country, two widely separated regions particu- 
larly when the difficulties of transportation are borne in mind. 
Despite this fact it is hoped that sufficient plants may be 
collected and brought back to St. Louis, so that the most 
notable exhibition of orchids ever held at the Garden may be 
made during the early part of 1924. 
