322 ORCHIDS: 
purple, almost crimson, the veins darker in colour, the crest 
of three short, projecting ridges. This plant blossoms in 
autumn, and remains in perfection for a month or more. 
Specimens with from twenty to fifty flowers open together 
are not unusually seen in cultivation. There is consider- 
able variation in the size and colour of the flowers, some 
being much superior to others, although the poorest plant 
is a good Orchid. Introduced from Brazil in 1837. Syn. 
M. bicolor. 
Fig. 76; Botanical Magazine, t. 4204. 
Var. radians has the habit and flowers of the type, but 
the lip is white, with lines of purple radiating from the 
crest. 
Var. rosea has narrower, longer pseudo-bulbs, and rose- 
tinted sepals and petals; the lip is banded with rose. 
Var. virginalis is distinguished by its tall scapes, its 
large flowers, and the deep crimson of its lip. 
M. spectabilis may be taken as representative of all 
the Miltonias with creeping rhizomes. It should be grown 
on a raft or in a shallow teak basket, and requires only 
about rin. thickness of soil about its roots. The soil should 
be peat-fibre and sphagnum, and the plant must be fastened 
firmly in position by means of thin copper wire. A position 
near the glass in an intermediate house, or where Cattleyas 
are grown, is the most suitable, but it must be shaded 
from bright sunshine. Water must be freely given in 
summer—almost every day, in fact—and in winter sufficient 
to keep the soil moist. Whilst in flower, the plants may 
be removed to a cool house. 
M. vexillaria.—One of the most popular of all Orchids, 
although somewhat difficult to manage. The pseudo-bulbs 
are narrowly oblong, and about 2in. long, bearing narrow- 
lanceolate, pale green leaves from gin. to 12in. long. The 
