Plate 559, 

 MAXILLARIA LUTEO-GRANDIFLORA. 



The genus Maxillaria (says Mr. B. S. Williams, of the 

 Victoria Nursery, Holloway, and author of that valuable book, 

 " The Orchid Grrowers' Manual,") is very extensive, and con- 

 tains a number of species which are very small in the size of 

 their flowers and inconspicuous and dull in their markings. To 

 such an extent does this prevail, that most cultivators of 

 Orchids have discarded them, and learned to speak slightingly 

 respecting the whole family ; but amongst the numerous species 

 there are a few of remarkable beauty, the size and markings 

 of their blooms rendering them worthy of a place in any 

 collection, the subject of the present plate being one of them. 



The Maxillarias are nearly all evergreen plants, and of easy 

 cultivation, most of them succeeding best in the temperature of 

 a cool, somewhat moist house. The soil best adapted for their 

 culture is a mixture of peat and sphagnum moss, in about equal 

 parts. The pots in which they are planted should be well 

 drained, and during the summer season they should be treated 

 to a liberal supply of water; daring winter less must be given, 

 but the pseudobulbs should never be allowed to shrivel. 



There are several varieties of this plant in cultivation, but 

 Mr. Williams considers this by far the best that he has seen. 

 It grows about eighteen inches high, and forms a dense compact 

 mass, producing an abundance of its highly ornamental flowers, 

 which retain their beauty for a long time. 



