ORCHID 



of the world, with the ex< 

 of the coldest region* The 

 include* over 400 genera, and 

 about 5,000 specie* are known. A 

 few hardy one* are native* of 

 Britain, but moat of the tropical 

 species have been introduced since 

 the year I 



For general culture orchid* are ' 

 usually divided into three group*, 

 r division*, according to the tem- 

 perature of the h< mm* m wlm-h 

 they will thrive best. These house* 

 are known as East Indian. Inter- 

 mediate, and Cool 



Kpiphytal orchids usually reach 

 Britain in the form of shrivelled 

 pseudo- bulbs. They should be at 

 once placed in a wet and warm at- 

 mosphere in small pans containing 

 nothing but pieces of clean broken 

 flowerpot. At first they should be 

 given only enough water to keep 

 the broken pieces of flowerpot 

 moist. In a shady position, in a 

 suitable temperature, the bulbs 

 will soon swell up and roots begin 

 to form. As soon as this stage 

 arrives, the orchids should be 

 potted up in a basket or pan con- 

 taining equal parts of sphagnum 

 moss and peat, with a small piece 

 of charcoal and some pieces of 

 broken flowerpot. Water should 

 only be given in small quantities 

 until the plants are well rooted. 



Terrestrial orchids, which are 

 usually grown in pots, thrive in 

 many cases in ordinary soil, some- 

 times requiring a heavy loam in 

 which ordinary pot plants would 

 not flourish. The pots should be 

 well and completely drained by 

 means of potsherds and charcoal, 

 or specially made orchid pots may 

 be purchased. A safe mixture for 

 the majority of terrestrial orchids 

 consists of equal parts of peat and 

 sphagnum moss, with a little silver 

 sand and powdered charcoal A 

 supply of rainwater is advantag- 

 eous to orchids, and, for plants in 

 the cool house, it should be raised 

 to a temperature level with that 

 of the surrounding atmosphere 

 before application. Water should 

 be given freely in summer, less 

 freely in winter. 



A number of orchids are quite 

 hardy in Britain. These include 

 the genera Ophrya (q.v.), Orchis, 

 and a number of species of the 

 genus Cypripedium. or Lady's 

 Slipper, of which the most striking 

 variety, C. apectabilc, is also known 

 as the Mocassin flower. It is a 

 native of N. America, and is al- 

 most equalled in hardiness and 

 beauty by C. calceolus, the English 

 Lady's Slipper. The flowers are 

 various, brown, yellow, pink, and 

 white in colour, and the flower 

 stems attain a height of from 18 

 ins. to 2 ft. Hardy orchids thrive 



seas 



beat if planted out in a deep, rich, 

 peaty *oil. with a few lump* of 

 natxbitono or handful* of grit 

 .nth the noil They will 

 al*o thrive in a turfy loam, with 

 a moist *ub*oil, and deep plant- 

 ing i* advisable. Pew of the 

 <>n h nix have any *cent. 



For commercial purpose* the 

 Vanilla (f.v.), a house climlxr 

 from Madagascar and the West 

 Indie*, i* the most valuable of the 



Orchid. 1. Green-veined orchis, 0. mono. 2. Flower 



ol Butterfly orchis. Habenaria hifolia. 3. Fragrant 



orchis. Gymnadenia conopiea 



orchid family. See colour plate ; also 

 Lady's Slipper ; Lady's Tresses ; 

 Laelia, etc ; consult also Orchids : 

 their Culture and Management, 

 W. Watson and W. Bean, 1890. 



Orchid, THE. Musical comedy, 

 written by J. T. Tanner, com- 

 posed by Ivan Caryll and Lionel 

 Monckton, and produced at the 

 Gaiety Theatre, London, Oct. 26, 

 1903, where it had a run of 559 

 performances. The cast included 

 Gertie Millar, George Grossmitb, 

 junr., and Edmund Payne. 



Orchis (Gr., testicle). Large 

 genus about 80 species of herb* 

 of the natural order Orchidaceae. 

 They are natives of Europe and 

 Asia, and a few of N. America. 

 They have in most cases a pair of 

 egg-shaped tubers, which sug- 

 gested the old Greek name ; in 

 some species these are flattened 

 with finger-like prolongation* (pal- 

 mate). The annual stem is wrapped 

 around by the few strap-shaped 

 leaves, which sometime* are 



spotted or blotched, and ends in a tiaed, 1908) ; The Elusive Pimper- 

 spike of irregular flowers, which nel, 1908 ; Lord Tony's \Vif\ I'.M T ; 

 by the twisting of the ovary are., and The Firv !.'_' >. Her 



reversed. P' a .v, The Legion of Honour, was 



There are about a dozen British produced at The Aid wych, London, 

 species, of which the best known in 1921. Pro*. Orchy. 



ORCZY 



are the early purple orchis (O. 

 matcttla) and the spotted orcbk (O. 

 matulata). The former, which 

 appear* in April in copse* and 

 pastures, ha* the 

 typical oral tubers 

 lie leave* 

 spotted with 

 purple black. The 

 flower* are red- 

 purple, and the 

 upper part of tin- 

 stem take* on a 

 similar coloration. 

 The spotted orchis 

 (O. maculala) ha* 

 the tuber* flat- 

 tened, and the 

 Hower-spike more 

 pyramidal, the 

 (lower* pale lilac 

 marked with 

 streak* and curved 

 line* of purple. 

 See Butterfly 

 Orchis ; Ophrys , 

 Orchid. 



Orcin OB OBCI- 

 SOL. Solid hydro- 

 carbon first pre- 

 pared byRobiquet 

 in 1829 from a 

 lichen, Variolaria 

 dealbata. From it 

 the red dye archil 

 (q.v. ) is made. 

 Orcin i* used in 

 the manufacture 

 of litmus paper. 



O r c n s . I n 

 Roman mythology, 

 name of the god of the lower world, 

 subsequently identified with Hades 

 or Pluto. Orcua is also used for 

 the lower world itself. See Hade* 



Orcsy, EMMUSKA, BARONESS. 

 British novelist and playwright. 

 Born at Tarnaors, Hungary, 

 daughter of ^^^_^^__^^_ 

 Baron Felix 

 Orczy, she was 

 educated at 

 Brussels and 

 studied paint- 

 ing in London. 

 Turning to 

 literature in 

 1900, she pub- 

 lished The Em- 

 peror's Candle- 

 sticks, 1905, 



and a tale of the French Revolution 

 The Scarlet Pimpernel, dramatised 

 in collaboration with her husband, 

 Montagu Baratow, and produced 

 at the New Theatre, London. 1905. 

 She also wrote I Will Repay, 

 i:. ui Braoadt 



Baroasss Orcty. 

 British novelist 



*/! 



