ODONTOGLOSSSUM. 341 
0. crispum.—This plant, better known under the names 
of O. Alexandre and O. Blunti, is, perhaps, the queen of 
the whole of the Orchid family. By a little management 
its charming flowers may be had all the year round. It 
is a plant which varies very considerably, no two of the 
many thousands imported being exactly alike, and very 
marked differences in size, colouring, and form of the 
flowers are constantly presenting themselves. The pseudo- 
bulbs are about gin. long, compressed, ovoid, and each 
one bears a pair of strap-shaped leaves 1ft. long. The 
flower-scape is arched, sometimes branched. Strong plants 
produce many flowers on a scape. Each _ pseudo-bulb 
bears only one scape. Each flower is from 2in. to 
3in. across. In good typical forms the sepals and petals 
are white, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, the petals being 
much undulated, and often fringed or toothed; the lip is 
oblong-acuminate, yellow, and crested towards the base, 
beautifully crisped at the margin, and more or less spotted 
towards the front with blotches of reddish brown. This 
plant has been very largely imported from New Grenada, 
and in some of its forms is flushed with a lovely tint of 
rose. Few flowers are more deservedly admired, and the 
variety which is so characteristic of the species tends to 
enhance its charms, as all its forms are beautiful. It is a 
matter of regret that this cannot retain the name of the 
Princess of Wales, in honour of whom it was named by Mr. 
Bateman; but as O. Alexandre proves to be but one of the 
many forms of the previously-known O. crispum, the latter 
name must take precedence. As many as 120 blossoms, in 
four racemes, have been produced by a single specimen. 
The original O. crispum is a plant of much earlier intro- 
duction. Karl Hartweg, who was sent to collect plants in 
New Granada for the Horticultural Society of London, 
found it in Bogota in 1841, with a spike 2dft. in length, 
