CALANTHE. 107 



B. Rnowlesii. — A beautiful plant, somewhat similar in 

 habit to B. venusta, very dwarf and compact. The flowers 

 are white, slightly tinged with pinky lilac, and produced in 

 long racemes. It blooms during the autumn, and continues 

 in perfection a long time. A scarce Orchid. 



B. venusta. — A very pretty species fi'om Brazil, in which 

 the blossoms are white, with yellow down the centre of the 

 lip. It blooms at different times of the year ; lasts two or 

 three weeks in good condition. 



Calanthe. 



There are some beautiful species belonging to this genus, 

 and consequently these plants are great favourites. They 

 are of easy culture, having handsome evergreen foliage — 

 except, however, C. vestita, C. VeitcJiii, C. Tumeric and C. 

 nivalis, which are deciduous, losing their leaves during the 

 season of rest. The four last named kinds are divided from 

 Calanthe by some authors, and established under the name of 

 Preptanthe. Nearly all the Calanthes have striking and 

 attractive flowers. Most of them are rather large, upright- 

 growing plants, some of them having leaves a foot and a half 

 long and six inches broad. Their long spikes of flowers rise 

 from the bulbs, and come up between the leaves. They 

 generally make their growth after the flowers have faded. 



The majority of the Calanthes are terrestrial Orchids, and 

 are best grown in pots of a large size, with loam, leaf mould, 

 and rotten dung mixed together. When they are planted, 

 two inches of drainage should be put at the bottom of the pot, 

 then a layer of moss on rough peat ; after which the pot 

 should be fiUed up with the motild, and the plant left about 

 level with the rim. They succeed best when grown in the 

 Indian house, and require well watering at the roots in their 



