August 19, 1911 



HORTICULTURE 



Cycnoches chlorochilon or Swan's Neck Orchid 



•_'61 



The genus Cycnoches is perhaps the most interesting 

 and perplexing of all the Orchid Genera. When buying 

 plants out of bloom one never knows what he is getting 

 and (lie appearance of the lii'-i I lowers, whether male or 

 female. Le always awaited with great interest and a cer- 

 lain aiiiomit of speculation. The plant figured here was 

 received last fall from Julius Etoehrs Co., of Rutherford, 

 N. J., under the name of Cycnoches chlorochilon carry- 

 ing a raceme of male flowers at the time. A plant of 

 apparently the same thing is figured in their catalogue 

 with a raceme of male flowers under that name and on 

 the foregoing page one with female llowers. On looking 

 up i he record of the species, however, I find that the 

 two sexes of C. chlorochilon do not show much diversity 

 except in the female having a short stout column with 

 a pair of triangular wings. 



There seems to be something wrong somewhere and I 

 have a suspicion that all the figures represent Cycnoches 

 maculatum, a good figure of this with both sexes, ap- 

 peared in the Orchid Review, Vol. XVII, p. 273. The 

 plant figured here is now producing two more racemes 

 from the same bulb, but it is too early to say what sex 

 they will represent, most likely again all male flowers, 

 for female flowers of this section of Cycnoches are rare- 

 ly produced under cultivation. Cycnoches maculatum 

 was described by Lindley in 1810 from plants bearing 

 male flowers and these have appeared very often since, 

 but the female flowers of this species were not known, 

 or at least not recorded, until 1909, or nearly 70 years 

 after the first male flowers appeared. The diversity in 

 the two sexes of some of the species is very great and 

 it is no wonder that plants of the same species are often 

 sold and grown under different and erroneous names. 



CULT I I; I 



Cycnoches need a very decided rest after flowering in 

 a temperature of about •">•"> to r>0 degrees. Very little 

 water is required after the bulbs have finished and the 

 flowers faded; just enough to prevent shrivelling until 

 the new growths appear in late winter or early spring, 

 when the amount should be gradually increased, being 

 careful nut to let any water lodge in the new growth 

 or thej will be very apt to rot off. From this time on 

 they will also require a warmer temperature and when 

 in full growth one can't gel it too hot for them, pro- 

 viding the atmosphere is moist at the same time. When 

 well rooted and the new psettdo bulb commences to 

 swell they will enjoy an occasional dip in weak liquid 

 manure. sa\ <>nee m- twice a week, but it must not be 

 overdone, lesi t lie roots might decay. 



Shade jusl enough during the growing season to pre- 

 vent scorching of the leaves. After growth is com- 

 pleted and the leaves commence to turn yellow, give 

 full sun, plenty of fresh air. and very little water. 

 Osmunda fibre is the best potting material for them. 

 Use small receptacles, oreferably common flower pots 

 or pans, and suspend near the ejass in a warm house 

 in order to give them the lull benefit of the light and 

 lieai. Under these conditions they will grow and flower 

 freely. 



flit' BUTTEKFLY OKI It 10 



Two species of Oncidium, namely, Oncidium Papilio 



and 0. Kramerianum, go by the above name. Both 

 are nearly allied, the former being, perhaps, the best 

 of the two, having larger and better colored flowers 

 produced on longi r and more -lender stems. Both of 

 them have beautifully mottled leave- and handsome yel- 

 low flowers which are barred and mottled with chestnut 



brown and pro- 

 duced at intervals 

 from the very ti 

 of the long slender 

 scape. 



Oncidium K ram- 

 erianum can easily 

 be distinguishe 

 from 0. Papilio by 

 the swollen joints 

 or nodes of the 

 flower scapes am 

 the more tli-i tncl 

 mottling of t h e 

 leaves. Both sp 

 will thrive under 

 the same treatment. 



They do besl in 



m j, , , , . „ Cycnoches i bloeochilo2s 



small baski ts, u -mg 



a little Osmunda fibre for the roots to run in. 



suspended in a sunny position in the warm or 



East India house where the temperature rarely goes 



below 60 degrees. Thej should never be allowed to get 



very dry as the) are nearly always on the move, either 



growing or Bio th. There is a plant of 0. 



Papilio here with seven fioi which are in bloom 



nearly all b uttiti times way into the winter, 



each scape producing its flowers at intervals of from 



one to three weeks. A few plants of these interesting 



orchid- should he in every collection. 



(?fl./:(3^ 



