SOBRALIAS. 145 



of Brocklehurst, Esq., under the care of Mr. Pass, his 

 gardener. 



SOBRALIAS. 



There are some handsome varieties belonging to this 

 family. Their colours are brilliant, and flowers large. They 

 are strong, free-growing plants, with evergreen foliage, and 

 produce their flowers out of a spathe, one at a time, from the 

 top of the reedy-like stem : they have as many as six flowers 

 from each spathe ; as soon as one decays another appears. 

 They will grow either in the East India house or the Mexican, 

 and thrive best in pots of a large size, with rough, fibrous 

 peat, and about three inches of drainage, with plenty of 

 water at the roots in the growing season ; afterwards keep 

 them much drier. When these plants get too large, turn 

 them out of the pot, and part them, making two or three 

 young plants, which will soon grow and make flowering 

 plants. The following are the best of this class. There are 

 several others, but they seldom compensate for the room 

 and care they require. 



Sobralia liliastrum. A distinct species from Guiana ; the 

 flowers are white, and are produced in July and August, and 

 last but a short time in beauty. There are two varieties of 

 this, one much better than the other. 



S. macrantha. A remarkably handsome Orchid from Gua- 

 temala ; the finest of the genus. The flowers are large, six 

 inches across, of a beautiful rich purple and crimson. Blooms 

 during the summer months, and lasts three days in perfec- 

 tion. This makes a fine plant for exhibition. 



S. macrantha splendens. A charming variety from Gua- 

 temala, flowering from June to August. It has darker 

 flowers than macrantha, but not so large. 



