12 



Chronicle," page 750, December nth, 1880. An outline of the 

 method may, however, be given here. The whole family is divided 

 into two groups, distinguished by their respective habits of growth, 

 and comprises the " Monopodial " Orchids, or those in which 

 the "main axis," that is, the stem, grows indefinitely, producing 

 its flowers from the sides. This includes Vanda, Aerides, Angrae- 

 cum, Saccolabium, Aeranthus, and Vanilla; two contain the 

 " Sympodial" Orchids, in which each axis is definite, i.e., the 

 stems finish their growth each season, and after the period of 

 rest fresh growth is produced from the side of the base of the 

 proceeding year's stem or pseudo-bulb. To this belongs the 

 great bulk of the exotic Orchids, of which only Dendrobium, 

 Oncidium, Odontoglossum, Epidendrum, Masdevallia, and 

 Cattleya need be named. These two large groups are sub- 

 divided into a number of small ones, the characters of which are 

 founded upon the development of the leaves in the bud, and a 

 variety of peculiarities possessed by them, the stems, and the 

 pseudo-bulbs. The Author admits that the scheme is not com- 

 plete, but it is important, as in the classification of Orchids 

 almost exclusive attention had hitherto been given to the floral 

 organs. 



THE PSEUDO-BULB. To the swollen base of the stem, which 

 in many orchids assumes an ovoid form a few inches high, and in 

 others becomes cylindrical and stem-like several feet in length, 

 the name pseudo-bulb is given, and though very different in 

 appearance, it is practically a tuber above ground, and appears to 

 serve in a similar w?y as a store house of nutriment, to be sub- 

 sequently used by the plant. All growers thoroughly understand 

 this, and know that unless large, well-ripened pseudo-bulbs are 

 obtained, good flowers cannot be expected, and as the former 

 improve year by year, so do the flowers advance and their strength 

 increase. In the case of imported plants, such as the Odontoglos- 

 sums, the pseudo-bulbs produced each year will often, under good 

 culture, become considerably larger than that formed in its native 

 country, and it is then the magnificent racemes are produced 

 which are occasionally seen at exhibitions. Some Oncidiums 

 and Epidendrums produce a kind of stem, and the pseudo-bulbs 

 are formed along this, giving the plant a very curious appearance. 

 In the Dendrobiums the pseudo-bulb becomes quite stem-like, 

 either erect or drooping, cylindrical and several feet long, bearing 

 the flowers at the nodes over the whole length. In most of the 

 others the growth of one season forms the bulb of the following 

 one, producing its flowers from the top or base: One remark- 

 able pseudo-bulb deserves special notice, namely, that of the 

 Trumpet or Cow-horn Orchid, Schomburgkia Tibicinis, which 

 attains the length of about two feet in its native home of Hon- 

 duras, is hollow inside, and somewhat conical in form. These 



