124 ORCHIDS FOR EVERYONE 



and texture that they last ten days or more in water after being 

 cut. In the bouquets of the bride and her maids, in the offering 

 of love, or in the basket of flowers wherewith we do honour to a 

 gracious and benevolent lady, or one gifted in the art of music, 

 Odontoglossums frequently take a beautiful part. One flower is a 

 suitable buttonhole bouquet for a gentleman, while a portion of a 

 spike forms a charming spray for a lady to wear at any time. 



But while O. crispum is the Oueen of cool Orchids, it must 

 not be forgotten that the genus includes many other lovely species, 

 as easily cultivated, and that many of these species have numerous 

 varieties, and besides all these there is a great host of hybrids, 

 almost all of which are exquisitely and brilliantly beautiful. This 

 all goes to show that Odontoglossums are sufficient in themselves 

 to provide abundant material for all the time an enthusiastic 

 amateur can give to their culture and study. Odontoglossums 

 may well (as in fact they do) form the subject of a most pleasur- 

 able, fascinating, and interesting hobby. 



Within certain limits these Orchids show a great diversity of 

 form and colour, as well as of size and habit of growth. The 

 largest flowers are those of 0. grande. In the finer forms of 

 0. crhpiim^ and in 0. nebulostim^ 0. Rossii, 0. Cervantesii, 0. 

 ckrosmum, and 0. coronarmni^ the flowers have a more or less 

 rounded outline, and approximate most nearly to the florist's ideal 

 of a flower. On the other hand, such species as 0. cirrhosutn^ 0. 

 blanciu77i, 0. odomtum, 0. naevii/m^ and 0. hastilabimn^ produce 

 narrow-petalled and spidery flowers. The spikes differ consider- 

 ably in stature and style; 0. Rossii flowers quite close to the 

 base of the pseudo-bulb, while 0. Edivardii will produce spikes 

 5 ft. or more in height. 0. crispum is a good example of an 

 arching spike. 0. uobile {0. Pesaitorci) and 0. ardentissimum 

 usually have long and branching spikes; 0. bictonie?ise and 0. 



