158 ORCHIDS FOR EVERYONE 



the general group. The compost used should be of peat, loam, 

 sphagnum, and sand, with a layer of sphagnum over the drainage, 

 the latter occupying one-half the depth of the pan. After potting 

 give water through a fine rose, and place the pans on a shelf near 

 the glass in a warm house. No water will then be required for 

 several weeks ; indeed, to give water at this season, before new roots 

 have formed and new growth has advanced, is to court failure. 

 When established and growing freely, Pleiones need abundance of 

 water, and may be syringed occasionally, but when the leaves fade, 

 only enough water to keep the bulbs plump will be needed. The 

 flowers are large for the size of the plants, three or four inches 

 across, and they are short-stemmed, so that when a well-grown 

 batch is in bloom, the reason for the popular name is evident. 



P. HooKERiANA has bright rosy-purple flowers, with brown 

 marks and a yellow throat to the lip. P. humilis is blush-white, 

 with blue-purple marks on the fringed lip. These two species 

 grow well in a cool house. P. lagenaria is rosy-lilac, and has a 

 very handsome lip, white, marked with crimson, purple, red, and 

 yellow. P. MACULATA, pure white, with a yellow throat and 

 yellow marks on the lip, is a lovely Orchid that flowers at the end 

 of the year. P. precox is rosy purple, with yellow marks on the 

 pale rose or white lip. 



RENANTHERA 



For a long number of years the old Renanthera coccinea 

 was the only species in cultivation, and though it is remarkable as 

 well as brilliantly beautiful when in flower, it grows to such an 

 enormous length that only in very high stoves can it be accommo- 

 dated. And usually it is only when a plant is allowed to grow to 

 the height of a dozen feet or more that it flowers well. It some- 



