Janiaky 6, 1S98. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



263 



Otaheite Orange in gilt Basket, tied with orange watered Ribbon. 

 CHRISTMAS PLANTS IN THE NEW YORK STORES. 



ner. In color mainly white, varied with 

 strong vertical lines of deep crimson pur- 

 ple extending; from base to apex. The de- 

 flexed petals are shaded with rosy purple 

 overlying green, the purple tint accentu- 

 ated toward their apices, while along their 

 upper surfaces are disposed several wart- 

 like spots in black. 



C. Kiobe Shortliillsense.with line flowers 

 on stems of more than ordinary length; 

 C. Spicerianum having sixteen expanded 

 flowers upon it; C. Henry Graves, Jr., so 

 refined and pretty in quiet neutral tints; C. 

 Victoria Marie, C. regale purpureum, and a 

 great pan of C. pavoninum inversuni just 

 coming into flower, were also noted, but 

 one-half is not told and space prohibits 

 prolonging the cypripediuni part of the 

 story. 



Before dismissing them, however, I 

 would remark that it isonly in such collec- 

 tions as this that one realizes what grand 

 additions have been made to the "cyp" 

 family through garden hybrids. Some 

 botanist of repute, I forget for the mo- 

 ment who, deplored this mixing up of the 

 species. Our collections would be meager 

 indeed, minus the hybrids. Why, Mr. 

 Clinkaberry told me that in that display he 

 made at the Astoria show before men- 

 tioned, out of fifty-seven varieties of 

 "cyps" staged on that occasion, no less 

 than fiftj- of them were of garden origin. 

 Certainly Mr. Clinkaberry has been a 

 great offender in this matter, if offence it 

 is, for he has seedlings by the hundreds 

 and before many more seasons pass some 

 of his 



Seedling Cattleyas 



are bound to create something of a sensa- 

 tion. In the first place, the cattlevas 

 growing in this collection represent a'se- 

 lection of the best in existence, add to 

 this the fact that these have been crossed, 

 and even the most vivid imagination can- 

 not picture the rich beauties that ere long 

 will here unfold. They are mites at pres- 

 ent, but there are hundreds of them each 

 in its own little cradle, with its parentage 

 and birth recorded. 



Here is one, for example, a cross be- 

 tween Cattleya intermedia Emelie and 

 Lielio-cattleya Phoebe. The plant is now 

 in sheath, yet will not be three vears old 

 until next April, by which time it will 

 probably be in Hower. This mav bring 

 assurance to the fainting heart of some 

 who fear cattleya extermination in the 

 tropics, and the hope that home raised 

 seedlings may yet become a slaplemarket 

 commodity. Try it I and report progress 

 three years hence. 



At the present time the florist is look- 

 ing for the cattleya that will bridge the 

 gap that comes between laliiata and Tri- 

 an;e. There are two that will do this, 

 and both were noted here, C. Percival- 

 iana in several varieties of exquisite color 

 richness and C. maxima, which belies its 

 name, for since it was discovered, now 

 more than fifty years ago, so manv larger 

 ones have been found, yet what it lacks 

 in size it gives in numbers, ranging from 

 five up to ten flowers on a spike. Accept 

 the dictum that merit is not measured by 

 size and then you have here two valuable 

 commercial cattleyas. 



Various Orchids. 



Ltelia anceps in variety filled one side 

 stage, and just coming into flower showed 

 wide range of coloring and rich selec- 

 tion from pure white to crimson. I 

 specially noted L. anceps Percivaliana 

 having immense flowers, sepals, and 

 petals, white slightly flushed with pink, 

 and delicately penciled lines of mauve- 

 blue at the base of the lips; also I,, an- 

 ceps Gouldiana of an opposite extreme in 

 deep dark crimson. 



The showy and quaint angroecums, too, 

 were well flowered. A number of A. 

 sesquipedale being open, while a plant 

 of A. eburneum carried six fine spikes 

 each with eight or more flowers. 



Zygopetalum rostratum is the orchid 

 evervone is looking for. ]\Ir, Clinkaberry 

 only has two, but he says they are always 

 growing and flowering. It has a creep- 

 ing or trailing habit of growth and 

 flowers disposed in spikes of two, three, 

 or more. The most conspicuous part of 

 them is a broad flat lip quite white ex- 

 cept at its base where it has a frill-like 

 attachment lined with purple. The 

 sepals and petals are long, narrow, taper 

 to a point, stand and depend quite per- 

 pendicularly behind the showy lip, are 

 whitish at their base, green tinted in the 

 center and flushed with brown towards 

 their tips. But, though orchids are su- 

 preme in this establishment they do not 

 have undisputed sway for there are 



Palms 



to be seen also, and these some of the 

 newest, now established and growing 

 luxuriantly in a comparatively new 



