250 JOURNAL OF THE TRINIDAD 



Oncidium papilio, " The butterfly." 



This old and exquisite orchid is almost world-renowned. It 

 occurs in many parts of Trinidad and has been found in great 

 quantities at the North Western extremity. 



It is an Oncidium with pseudo-bulbs. These are almost 

 circular, rather compressed and somewhat wrinkled, and bearing 

 a short elliptical tough leaf with a well-defined midrib or nerve 

 down its centre. In colour, the leaves are sometimes dull 

 green, but where the plant grows in a good light, they are of a 

 green colour prettily marked with marbling of reddish brown. 

 The roots are rather fine, of a brown colour, fleshy, with a green 

 growing point. 



The flower spike springs, as is usual with orchids of this 

 genus, from the base of the last matured pseudo-bulb, and is 

 about 30 inches in length, jointed, and bearing small bracts at the 

 joints. It is somewhat compressed or flattened, as it were, and 

 from its apex the single flower is produced, to be succeeded by 

 another as soon as it fades, the plant continuing to flower in this 

 manner for as many years as it is kept in health. 



The flowers are large and spreading, too well known 

 to need description ; the three sepals are narrow, erect, and 

 reddish brown in colour, the petals are broader, drooping, tapered, 

 wavy, and barred with yellow and cinnamon brown, the large, 

 spreading, almost circular lip is yellow with a border of cinnamon 

 brown, the depth of this border varying with the variety of the 

 species. In the best variety it is very deep, the yellow centre 

 being small in comparison. Of the varieties of this orchid there 

 are many, but the most desirable is 0. papilio majus. In this 

 the flowers are nearly double the size of the type, and the lip is 

 conspicuous by its brown border and yellow centre. 



There is said to be another and exceeding^ rare variety of 

 0. papilio for the possesion of which fortunes have been offered 

 and vigorous attempts have been made to find it, but in vain. 



This variety is described as 0. papilio albiflorum, having 

 pure ichite flowers, and it is said that a specimen was once found 

 at Caracas, Venezuela. 



There is no doubt but that if such a variety does exist 

 it would be a most valuable orchid, but I am inclined to 

 think that 0. papilio albiflorum is a myth, as the Venezuelan 

 peons, or labourers, call such orchids as Epidendrum atropur- 

 pureum,Brassavola,nodosaorvenosa&ndcvenDiacrumbicornulum. 

 " Mariposa blanca," (white butterfly) and it is my idea that this 

 is how the story of a white butterfly has originated. 



Moreover, except 0. jonesianum, which posesses a white lip, 

 there is not a pure ivhite Oncidium known, and as yellow or 

 some shade of yellow and brown seems to be the predominating 

 colours of the majority of Oncidiums it is hardly possible that a 



