328 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Female. Male. 
Vriesea Morenno-Barilleti (see Vriesea cardinalis (see above). 
above). 
Progeny. 
Vriesea Rex. 
Bracts having the same dimensions as those of V. Morenno-Barilleti, 
but entirely carmine red; strong plant. 
Female. Male. 
Vriesea Morenno - Barilleti (see Vriesea Rex (see above). 
above). 
Progeny. 
Vriesea Rex Major. 
Bracts much larger than in Vriesea Rex, and of a much more intense 
red; strong plant. 
If we take other species of Vriesea we find some very curious things 
to take note of. For instance the Brazilian species, such as VY. brachy- 
stachys and its varieties, and also the ornamental species, such as 
V. fenestralis and V. tessellata, are excessively difficult to fertilise 
with pollen of species or varieties belonging to different countries. I 
have therefore had a great deal of trouble in obtaining four plants from 
Vriesea fenestralis (Parana) impregnated with the pollen of the Vriesea 
splendens major of Veitch (French Guiana). The result of this cross is 
quite extraordinary. It is the plant I named ‘ Vriesea Sphinx’ (sown in 
1889, it did not flower until 1898). It is three or four times the size of 
the mother plant (Vriesea fenestralis). The dark green foliage is slightly 
marked with transverse stripes. The inflorescence is about 2 to 2% feet 
long, and is borne on a strong peduncle; the bracts are nearly the same 
shape as those of Vriesea splendens major, but what is calculated to 
puzzle the most competent grower is that they are of the purest green 
without the slightest indication of other colour. This result would 
seem to establish the fact that the colouring matter of the bracts of 
Vriesea splendens is not sufficient to influence the fertilising operations 
made with this species; but in spite of the difficulties I have experienced 
in employing Vriesea splendens and its varieties for the male I have per- 
severed in using the pollen of this plant, and each time the result has 
been plants not possessing any trace of colour, or, at the most, only a 
very inferior colour. On the other hand, when I took Vriesea splendens 
and its varieties for the female I obtained some very fine things. Thus, 
for example, Vriesea Andreana= Vriesea splendens x Vriesea Morenno- 
Barilleti; Vriesea Elmireana=Y. splendens x V. cardinalis; Vriesea 
Henrici=V. splendens x VY. splendida. But a still more curious fact is 
that none of the progeny of Vriesea splendens bears any trace of its fine 
black stripes—not even the slightest indication of them. The general — 
habit of Vriesea splendens certainly predominates; the form of the bracts 
and the inflorescence in shape like a sword are also maintained in the 
plants emanating from hybridisations performed on it, but that is all. 
There are other species or varieties not less interesting to be studied 
