LAELIA. 267 
as much as 8in. in diameter, the sepals and _ petals 
being narrow at the base, broader in the upper half, 
white, tinted and streaked with rose-purple; the lip is 
also very large, sometimes as much as 3in. in length, 
broad, and spreading in front, the margin crisped; colour 
rich purple, veined with a deeper shade; throat pale 
yellow, with purple lines. The plant flowers during 
the spring and early summer, and is a native of Brazil. 
Paxton’s Flower Garden, iii. 96. 
Many varieties of this are now cultivated; the best of 
them are here given: 
Var. Brysitana.—Sepals and petals tinged with rose- 
lilac; lip deep purple. 
Var. Russeliana.—Sepals and petals white, tinted with 
lilac; lip rose-lilac, with veins of purple. 
Var. Schredert.—Sepals and petals white; front of lip 
mauve-purple, bordered with white. 
L. rubescens.—A small plant, with compressed, ovoid 
pseudo-bulbs, rin. to 2in. long, one-leaved. Leaf oblong, 
4in. in length, leathery. Scape slender, 1ft. long, jointed, 
four- to seven-flowered; flowers 24in. across, full; petals 
and sepals nearly equal, white or rose-lilac; lip short, 
with a rather large front lobe, which is lilac, with a blotch 
of purple in the throat. Introduced in 1840. A native of 
Southern Mexico and Guatemala, where it is known as 
the ‘Flor de Jesus.” It blooms in November’ and 
December, and should be cultivated as advised for the 
Mexican species. Syns. ZL. acuminata, L. peduncularts. 
Botanical Magazine, tt. 4099 and 4905. 
Var. a/ba.—F lowers white, with a yellow blotch on lip. 
Var. rosea.—F lowers mauve; lip blotched with maroon. 
L. superbiens.—A fine, strong-growing species, the pseudo- 
bulbs of which are 1ft. or more long, and stout, bearing 
