456 ORCHIDS. 
S. macrantha.—This is the best known, and perhaps 
the most useful, of Sobralias. The slender, reed-like stems 
are 4ft. to 7ft. high; the leaves with which the upper part 
is furnished being deep green, plaited, ovate, and pointed. 
The flowers are large and showy, frequently measuring 
6in. to 7in. across; after the first day they commence to 
fade. The sepals are oblong; the petals being broader, 
and crisped at the margin. The base of the lip closes 
over the column; the front portion is broad, spreading, and 
wavy round the edge. The whole flower is of a rich 
purple, with the exception of a spot of pale yellow on the 
base of the lip. Well-established specimens of this species 
are rarely out of flower from May to July. It thrives in 
the coolest part of the intermediate house. At Kew there 
is a large, healthy plant several feet through, in a house 
in which the temperature occasionally falls to 45deg. in 
winter. During the summer, too much water can scarcely 
be given if the drainage be perfect, and when growth is most 
active occasional applications of weak manure-water are 
beneficial. A native of Guatemala and Mexico; intro- 
duced in 1842. 
Botanica! Magazine, t. 4446. 
Var. Kienastiana has flowers ‘‘ of the most exquisite purity, 
surpassing all shades of white I have seen’’ (Reichenbach). 
There is a small, sulphur-coloured mark near the base of 
the lip. 
Var. mana is much valued, being of dwarf habit, with 
deep purple and crimson flowers, quite as large as those 
of the type. 
Var. pallida has the sepals and petals soft rose, and 
the lip almost white. 
S. sessilis—A rare and very beautiful species, dwarfer in 
habit than the majority of Sobralias. Its reed-like stems 
