narrow and pointed—light green in colour. The flower scape hairy and about 
10 inches in length, branched and bearing up to 8 flowers, each about 2 inches 
across. These differ from most of the other Cypripediums in having the dorsal 
sepal and the petals identical in shape and colouring. They are snowy white with 
green tips and mottled with rosy purple. The pouch is round and contracted at 
the mouth. It is white, blotched in front with deep rose. 
It flowers generally in Spring, but is not consistent in this respect. The flowers 
last well. 
The species is found in the swamps on the plateaux of the Andes round 
about 4000 feet above sea level. It is best grown in a compost of peat, sphag- 
num and sand. The drainage must be perfect at all times. Give copious water 
throughout the year. This species grows best in a glasshouse in Sydney and 
Brisbane, preferably hung over a fish-pond, and it should have plenty of light. 
It is rather a difficult subject to grow, and is not a suitable plant for beginners to 
experiment with. 
Syn. Selenipedium Schlimii. 
DENDROBIUM and ALLIED GENERA 
Probably there is no genus of orchids which is more widely cultivated than the 
Dendrobiums—generally one or more of its species are the first plants in a 
beginner’s collection. And there is no doubt that this genus is most beautiful 
and varied in its forms. Upwards of 850 species are listed, but of these 
the majority are of botanical interest rather than horticultural. There are, 
however, nearly two hundred species that are well worth including in any col- 
lection of orchidaceous plants. 
The Dendrobiums are extremely widely distributed, being found in various parts 
of India, Ceylon, Nepal, Sylhet, Assam, Burma, Siam, the Moluccas, the Philip- 
pines, New Guinea, Australia (from the farthest North down to Tasmania), New 
Zealand, the South Sea Islands, China and Japan. Obviously this wide distri- 
bution necessitates that there is a wide divergence in the conditions they ex- 
perience in a state of nature and equally obviously it is impossible to lay down a 
method of culture to serve all species. One thing is common to all the species— 
they must have a well defined resting period during which the recently formed 
stems or pseudobulbs mature and become ready for the production of flowers— 
but even in this common feature the species vary considerably in their require- 
ments. 
Another factor that must be kept in mind for the satisfactory growing of plants 
of this genus is that all the Dendrobiums are sun lovers. In their natural state 
they grow on the trunks and branches of tall trees, or on exposed rocks, where 
they are subject to the full strength of the sun’s rays. Growers who place their 
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