OECHIDS FOR THE GREENHOUSE, COLD FRAME, OR PIT. 283 



Orchids which yield most exquisite flowers, that will thrive 

 entirely without artificial heat. Orchid growers too often 

 set on one side all those which do not succeed under 

 artificial heat. My object in introducing the subject is to 

 bring into notice some of those beautiful terrestrial plants 

 from the Cape of Good Hope, North America, the South 

 of Europe, and Australia, which at present are only seen at 

 rare intervals, but which when seen are always admired. It 

 also opens a field for many not possessing the advantages of 

 an East Indian and Mexican Orchid house, or, indeed, any 

 plant house, to commence the study of this beautiful class. 

 The terrestrial species, from the Cape and other places, which 

 do not, as a rule, produce large flowers, are yet most 

 exquisitely coloured, and most fantastic in shape. We have, 

 however, some fine things to introduce from the Cape yet. 

 Mr. Plant, in one of his journeys in South Africa, in describing 

 some of the rarities he met with, says : — *' The Terrestrial 

 Orchids are numerous and very beautiful. In my opinion, 

 there are many here but little inferior to the most showy of 

 the epiphytous kinds. Fancy a plant with the general 

 characters of an Ophrys^ producing a spike of bloom as large 

 and as thickly set as those of Saccolabium giittatum, often, 

 indeed, measuring two feet in length, of a bright salmon 

 colour, intermixed with as bright a yellow. Another with 

 plaited foliage, and a nodding head of some twenty bright 

 yellow blossoms, having a deep stain of crimson on the 

 cucullate lip, in the manner and of the size of a Dendrobium. 

 Again, another with fleshy leaves and an erect stem of about 

 two feet, supporting from fifteen to thirty large yellow flowers, 

 the lip lined and blotched with pale pui-ple, bearing the aspect 

 of some robust Epidendrumy Many of these fine things 

 would no doubt ere now have enriched our gardens, had 

 Mr. Plant been spared to return alive. What can be more 



