LINNEAK SOCIETY OF LONDON. 49 



the Orchids, which, during nearly lialf a century, were his close 

 and all-absorbing study. 



It was quite appro])riate that when iie became associated with 

 bis father's great work, the ' Icones Florte Germanictc et Helve- 

 tia%' his first care sliould be the Orchids ; this volume appeared 

 in 1851, followed, in 1852, by his thesis, ' De pollinis Orchidearum 

 genesis ac structura,' which procured for him the appointment of 

 University Lecturer at Leipzig, rising in 1855 to the rank of 

 Extraordinary Professor in the same University. 



Next appeared Eeichenbach's most valuable contribution to 

 Orchidic literature, his elaboration of the waxy-pollened species 

 in A¥alpers's ' Auuales,' vol. vi., his px'ojected continuation un- 

 happily remaining unperformed; this came out in 185G ; but in 

 1854 he started a quarto work, ' Xenia Orchidacea : Beitriige zur 

 Orcbideenkunde,' which has slowly gone ou, the first volume 

 being completed in 1858, until at the present time it stands at 

 the third part af the third volume, bearing the date of 1883. 

 In 18G5 his father celebrated his jubilee as a member of the 

 University staff, and the same day the son was elected a 

 member of the Academia Naturse Curiosorum, under the name of 

 " Eichard." 



The year 1863 witnessed the choice of Reichenbach as successor 

 to the chair of Botany at Hamburgh, vacant by the death of Leh- 

 mann, three years before, he being one of five competitors for the 

 post. With this was coupled the duty of Director of the 

 Botanical Garden at that place. 



Another quarto volume was soon begun here, entitled ' Otia 

 botanica Hamburgensia,' in 1878, which, like its fellow above 

 mentioned, is still incomplete. A third production on the 

 same scale, but fortunately finished, is liis 'Beitriige zur 

 Orchideeiikuude Central-Americas,' forming part of the 35th 

 volume of the Nov. Acta Acad. Nat. Cur. in 1870; but the 

 bulk of his work from that time forward lay in descriptions 

 in magazines, chieHy the ' Hamburger Grarten-Zeitung,' ' Mora,' 

 ' Linnsea,' ' The Gardeners' Chronicle,' and ' Reicheubachia.' 



A frequent visitor to this country, his distinct personality was 

 known to all, whilst his conversation was constantly enlivened by 

 sarcastic witticisms. He was jealous to excess of any supposed 

 encroachment on his special prcserv'i ; his resentment of the same 

 was characteristic, and oven amusing to those who were merely 

 onlookers and were not exposed to the brunt of his attacks. 

 During the last thirty years, that is since Lindley ceased to labour 

 on these plants, lieiclienbach has been the sponsor of an innu- 

 merable host of new species, varieties, and hybrids ; every scrap 

 or drawing or memorandum was carefully hoarded for his her- 

 barium. This, therefore, has become the key to his life-long 

 labours, and the destination of it will be eagerly awaited ; a care- 

 ful working of it by competent hands will be needed to clear up 

 the many puzzles in his descriptions, which of late years had 



LINN. SOC. PliOCEEDINGS. — ^SESSION 1888-89. 6 



