ONCIDIUMS 



Of Oncidiums in this house I note : — 



Lamelligerum. — A very grand and noble flower, too rarely 

 seen. It belongs to the stately section of which Oncidium 

 macranthum is the common type. The great dorsal sepal 

 swells out roundly from a stalk half an inch long ; the two 

 lower resemble in shape those long-bladed paddles, with 

 scalloped edge, which are used by chiefs in the South Seas ; 

 in colour rich brown, with a clear golden margin. The 

 yellow petals also have a stalk, but to give a notion of the 

 large, beautiful, and complex development which they carry 

 at the ends is a hopeless endeavour. I have seen ladies' work- 

 baskets which faintly resemble it when wide open ; made of 

 the softest straw, without end-pieces, only to be closed by 

 tying a ribbon in the centre. But really the case is desperate. 

 I pass on. 



Tetracopis. — Another of the same group, even more rare, 

 but not so striking. Large, as they all are. Sepals a lively 

 brown, gold edged ; petals bright yellow splashed with brown ; 

 lip yellow. 



Undulatum. — A third member of this handsome family. 

 Sepals brown, petals white, marbled with yellow and mauve 

 at the base, spotted with purple above, and streaked with 

 yellow. Lip very small, as in all the other cases, but con- 

 spicuous by reason of its bright purple tint. 



Ornithorhynchum album. — This is one of our oldest and 



