244 JOURNAL OP THE TRINIDAD 



aromatic perfume ; and besides these two lovely species there 

 are very many beautiful and fascinating orchids adorning our 

 forest trees with their spikes and racemes of curious or res- 

 plendent flowers, but none are so keenly sought for nor more 

 universally admired than the four Oncidiums I am about to 

 attempt to describe. 



Their botanical names are Oncidium ampliation, Oncidium 

 lanceanum, Oncidium luridum, and Oncidium, papilio, but to 

 the unscientific horticulturist they are known as " The Yellow 

 Bee", "The Cedros Bee", "The common or brown Bee " and 

 " The Butterfly orchid," these names being given on account of a 

 fancied resemblance in the shape of the flowers to the insects 

 whose name they bear. 



I will deal with them in the order in which they stand 

 above, and will therefore begin with Oncidium ampliatum — The 

 Yellow Bee. 



Of this species there are two representatives, viz. the type 

 and a larger variety known as 0. ampliatum majus. The type is 

 an epiphytal orchid with roundish pseudo-bulbs somewhat com- 

 pressed, pale green, striped and spotted with reddish brown, and 

 bearing on each pseudo-bulb a pair of shiny rich green, oblong 

 divaricate leaves. From the base of the pseudo-bulb, when it is fully 

 matured, springs a bright green flower spike which terminates in 

 an ample raceme of bright yellow flowers, almost white on the 

 under side, minutely spotted at the base of the broad lip and on 

 the sepals and petals with reddish brown. 



The flowers last a very long time in beauty if protected 

 from the weather and the garden syringe. It flowers in the 

 dry season (January to May). 



When in full bloom a large mass of this Oncid is a grand 

 sight, the bright yellow colour predominating in the blossoms 

 being beautifully relieved by the shiny dark green of the leaves. 



I have had two large plants, growing in baskets, in bloom 

 for seven weeks, and they were admired by all who saw them. 



This species grows well either on the bark of living trees 

 or in a basket with good drainage. For the latter method peat 

 may be use as compost, but it decomposes so very rapidly in a 

 warm climate that I have found thoroughly dried coconut husk 

 with the outer skin peeled off and cut up in pieces of the size 

 of a hen's egg a very good substitute if similar sized pieces of 

 charcoal be intermixed with it. For large masses the basket 

 treatment is preferable to blocks. In fact Oncidium ampliatum 

 takes a very long time to develop into a fine plant when grown 

 on a block or a tree, although it grows and flowers well, but the 

 growth is slow and the flowers are generally produced from one 

 pseudo-bulb at a time, while under the basket treatment the 

 plant sends leads from several sides, and these when 



