THE MOST USEFUL ORCHIDS s5 



the sepals and petals being fairly even in size. In C. candatum 

 the petals are abnormally elongated and ribbon-like. In C. 

 Chamber lahiiajium the petals are curiously twisted. In C Schlim'ii 

 and C. niveum the lip is quite small, but in C. Ciirt'uii^ C. Roths- 

 childianum^ and C. Sto?iei this organ is greatly enlarged. 



Botanists have in recent years divided the large genus of 

 Cypripedium into four groups, and constituted each group a 

 separate genus. From this arrangement it would appear that the 

 hardy and deciduous species, like C. calceolus and C. spectabile^ are 

 true Cypripediums ; the species from Tropical Asia, such as 

 C. insigne^ C. Curiisii, C. Lawrenceanu??!, etc., are Paphiopedilums. 

 The Tropical American species, such as C. candatum^ C. grandt^ 

 and C. longifolium are Phragmopedilums ; while a few species (not 

 referred to in this work) are included under Selenipedium. The 

 botanical differences between these four groups or genera are not 

 great, indeed for all horticultural purposes they may be disregarded. 

 There is some difference in the growth of the Tropical Asian and 

 the Tropical American species, the former having, as a rule, shorter 

 leaves than the latter, and while the plants from the New World 

 have their leaves long, more or less erect, and always green, those 

 from the Old World have in very many instances their leaves 

 mottled with different shades of green and brown and purple. In 

 this work all the Lady's Slipper Orchids are included under 

 Cypripedium. It must not be forgotten that all the members of 

 this large family are stemless, and have no pseudo-bulbs. 



In every large garden where Winter-flowering plants are in 

 request a batch of " cool " Cypripediums is as much a necessity as 

 are Chrysanthemums, Primulas, Poinsettias, Roman Hyacinths, 

 Euphorbias, etc., and this is so even where there is no collection of 

 Orchids. This is sufficient to show with what ease these plants 

 may be cultivated, and, better still, it is ample evidence of their 



