April 7, 190G 



HORTICULTURE 



439 



Cypripedium caudatum 



( lypripediums galore, seedlings by thousands, im- 

 provements on the old varieties m many cases, but 

 occasionally we are charmed at the sight of an old 

 friend. Such is Cypripedium caudatum, one of the most 

 beautiful and interesting species, but though intro- 

 duced in 18-17 it is never seen in quantity. Here and 

 there a plant, but always admired when in flower, its 

 odd and graceful form demanding more than a passing 

 glance the most indifferent plant lovers will stop and 

 admire its beauty, while others considerably more val- 

 uable will be passed unnoticed. It delights in a 

 slightly warmer temperature than most varieties and 

 the plant in the accompanying photograph has been 

 doing splendidly in the same spur for several years, 

 making several nice clean growths, having as neighbors 

 C. Brownii, C. cardinale. ('. leucorrhodum, C. Domi- 

 nianum and other selenipediums. It requires liberal 

 watering when growing and should not be disturbed too 

 often ; when you find a certain place in the house which 

 suits it. let it remain there. I find this true with many 

 cypripediums. A few years ago C. Lawrencianum 

 could not be coaxed to grow, until finally we placed 

 them on the end of a bench near the door, and now they 

 grow as if they felt at home. 



C. caudatum is a choice variety and should be in 

 every collection : it will always be a favorite. 



t^ujJ-^^^r 



Phaius grandifolius 



At the present time, March 24, we have some fine 

 large clumps of Phaius grandifolius in bloom. These 

 plants were collected by the writer in the mountains of 

 Jamaica over a dozen years ago and blossom annually 

 about this time. The plant is not a native of Jamaica 

 but was introduced there many years ago and is natural- 

 ized in many parts of the island now. 



I remember well my first introduction to this plant 

 when collecting in the mountains along with an English 

 missionary, Mr. Griffiths, who was a great lover of or- 

 chids, and knew the homes of most of the genera and 

 species indigenous to the island. The Phaius grew 

 must luxuriantly in a field which was once part of a 

 sugar plantation. The soil of this neglected field was 

 a strong, rich, yellow, porous loam. The plants were in 

 full blossom at the time and their flowering stems at- 

 tained a height of about four feet and a half, each stem 

 carrying a great number of flowers. Although the 

 flowers were not as showy or as bright as some other 

 orchids, yet they were produced so plentifully and grew 

 so luxuriantly amongst the ferns and grasses which 

 made a fine setting for them that it was a sight that 

 impressed itself very strongly on my memory and since 

 that time I have an affectionate liking for this plant. 

 It is an evergreen terrestrial orchid which has been 

 cultivated in gardens for over a hundred years. Since 

 it was introduced into cultivation it has had many 

 names, and some old gardeners still hold on to some of 

 the old names. It is hard to give up an old name when 

 it has been once thoroughly impressed on the memory. 

 It was known at one time or another by the following 

 names: Phajus Tankervillei, Bletia Tankervillea, 

 Limodorum Tankervillea and Pacline speetabilis. This 

 gives an excellent example of how difficult it is for gar- 

 deners to keep track of names when botanists change 

 their minds so frequently or are careless in their work 

 and place the plant in the wrong genus. 



This phaius blooms during the late winter and early 

 spring months and if kept, while in blossom, in not too 

 hot a house its flowers will last in good condition for 

 several weeks. It has one splendid quality which many 

 orchids are deficient in. and that is its long and stout 

 flower stems and although its flowers are not as showy 

 a- ,aii lev a- yet 1 1 1 < ■ \ have a charm of their own. I am 

 pleased that in many places they are becoming favor- 

 ites and being sought after. 



The flowers which are of a good size are produced in 

 hmg erect racemes. The sepals and petals are white on 

 the outer surface and of a chocolate brown within. The 

 lip or labellum white at the apex and the throat yellow, 

 veined with crimson. The flowers last a long time when 

 cut and make a good flower for florists' use. Their 

 principal qualifications for a good florists' flower are 

 their fine long stems, good keeping qualities, cheapness 

 and ease of culture. 



After the plant.- have flowered and have begun to 

 show signs of new growth then it is time to repot. We 

 repot our plain- aboui every second year. When the 

 plants are turned nut of their pots take a sharp stick 

 and pick away a large portion of the old soil. Use 

 well drained and thoroughly clean pots and if the plants 

 are m good health give them one size larger than they 

 were in before. A compost of fibery loam, leaf-mould 

 and rotten cow manure suits them well. Spread the 

 fleshy roots nut well in the pots and see that they are not 

 bundled up together, packing the soil moderately firm 

 about them. Until the roots take hold of the fresh 

 soil water sparingly, but syringe frequently and keep a 



