MACROSCOPIC AND MICROSCOPIC CHARACTERS OP PLANTS. 



817 



(Botanical Magazine, Table 6490), Engler (Pflanzen- 

 reich, iv, Th. 50, 72, 76, 104; The Garden, 1890, 166; 

 and Gartenflora, 1889). 



Cypripedium spicerianum Eeichb.f. (Seed Parent). 

 Roots arise from a short stout rhizome. Leaves per- 

 sistent, distichous and alternate narrowly linear-oblong, 

 bifid at the apex, keeled beneath, dark green above and 

 spotted with dull purple on the under side toward the 

 base, about 5 leaves to 1 growth, the first leaf somewhat 

 shorter and the last very much shortened and erect, 

 inclosing the base of the flower-stalk. Flower-stalk slen- 

 der, erect, dark brownish-red purple, pubescent, bearing 

 1 flower ; bract linear-oblong, compressed, green, streaked 

 with purple dots, sheathing the red-purple pubescent 

 ovary to about half its length. Flowers erect; dorsal 

 sepal very large, broadly obcordate, lateral margins re- 

 flexed at the base, apical margin bent forward and com- 

 plicate in the middle, forming a very acute compressed 

 ridge, white except for a crimson purple band which 

 runs along the mid-line from the base to the top of the 

 sepal, and green area at the base that is hairy and 

 speckled with red ; lateral sepals combined into 1 broadly 

 ovate, acute, greenish white, concave, anterior sepal, with 

 recurved margins placed directly under the lip; petals 

 linear-oblong, with crisped margins, deflexed, curved for 

 ward, greenish spotted with dull red and with a reddish- 

 crimson midline, hairy at the base, labellum bell-shaped 

 with rounded auricles, greenish with an olive-brown 

 glossy anterior part; column short, hairy; staminode 

 orbicular with strongly recurved margins, bright purple 

 margined with white. 



Cypripedwm villosum Lindl. (Pollen Parent). 

 Leaves strap-shaped, green, bifid at the apex, keeled 

 beneath, with small purple spots at base; youngest leaf 

 not very much shorter than others, erect for about half 

 its length, sheathing around flower-stalk, then spreading. 

 Flower-stalk shorter than the leaves, very hairy, green 

 with long purple hairs; bract large, broadly ovate, com- 

 pressed, green with purple spots at base extending along 

 midrib inclosing almost the entire ovary. Flowers large 

 and glossy ; dorsal sepal deep purple-brown at base, also 

 extending up along main veins, then green with a narrow 

 white margin ; anterior sepal yellowish green, with 2 nar- 

 low lines of purple extending down the 2 main veins, 

 apiculate ; petals unequal, the posterior half being much 

 broader than the anterior, the posterior brown, the lower 

 half more greenish brown, margins undulating ; labellum 

 brownish yellow ; column short hairy ; staminode, green- 

 ish brown with prominent apex and greenish tubercle. 



Cypripedium lathamianum (Hybrid). Leaves green 

 above, keeled beneath and with purple spots at the base, 

 which are closer together and darker than in C. villosum; 

 youngest leaf short and erect, sheathing the base of the 

 flower-stalk. Flower-stalk erect, 1-flowered, hairy ; bract, 

 yellow-green with many purple dots, inclosing the ovary 

 to about half of its length. Flowers large ; dorsal sepal 

 resembles C. spicerianum; white with a broad purple mid- 

 rib, greenish at the base, striped and speckled with brown 

 above this, lateral halves marked with pink; anterior 

 sepal green with 2 narrow brown-purple veins; petals 

 bent forward, margin very wavy, with deep purple mid- 

 line which divides it into an olive-brown upper half and a 

 brownish-green lower half ; labellum almost as in C. vil- 

 losum, but of a lighter greenish-ochre color ; column short, 



hairy; staminode resembles in shape that of C. spiceria- 

 num, color a greenish purple with whije margin,' apex 

 very short and with green tubercle. 



Cypripedium lathamianum inversum (Hybrid). 

 Leaves green above, keeled beneath, with purple spots at 

 the base which are closer together than in C. villosum 

 but are not as large as in C. lathamianum, youngest leaf 

 short, erect, sheathing the base of the flower-stalk. 

 Flower-stalk erect, 1-flowered, hairy ; bract short, yellow- 

 green with very small purple dots, inclosing the ovary 

 from about one-third to one-half its length. Flowers 

 large; dorsal sepal very similar to C. lathamianum but 

 basal green area is more yellowish and also extends for a 

 greater distance up the sepal; anterior sepal yellowish, 

 purple markings over the veins very faint; petals bend 

 forward, margin very wavy with a deep purple mid-line 

 which divides it into brownish upper half and a yellowish- 

 green lower half, the mid-line being wider in this hybrid 

 than in C. lathamianum, at the base more yellowish than 

 in C. lathamianum; labellum more brownish than in C. 

 lathamianum; column short, hairy; staminode, shape 

 between that of C. lathamianum and C. villosum, pur- 

 plish green, apex not as prominent as in C. villosum but 

 more so than in C. spicerianum. 



COMPARISONS OF THE MACROSCOPIC CHARACTERS. 



Two different plants of C. spicerianum were exam- 

 ined, the first being almost identical with the left-hand 

 figure in Curtis's Botanical Magazine Table 6490. The 

 second differs in the color of the flower-stalk, color and 

 hair of the ovary, color of dorsal sepal, and in the num- 

 ber and size of hairs, otherwise they are alike. These 

 plants are designated No. 1 and No. 2. 



LEAF, 



The leaves of all four plants are persistent, strap- 

 shaped, bifid at the apex, leathery, keeled beneath, vary- 

 ing shades of green and marked toward the base on the 

 under side with dull purple. They are very much shorter 

 and narrower in C. spicerianum than in C. villosum, and 

 though the average length and width of the leaves in 

 both hybrids are between those of the parents, they 

 are much nearer C. villosum than 0. spicerianum. (Table 

 J 51.) 



The leaves of C. spicerianum on the under surface 

 near the base have large purple spots or blotches. Those 

 of C. villosum have small purple dots. Those of C. 

 lathamianum have blotches that are arranged more or 

 less in lines and so close together that the area is almost 

 entirely dull purple, thus resembling 0. spicerianum. 

 Those of C. lathamianum inversum have spots that are 

 smaller and farther apart, becoming nearer C. villosum. 

 These markings extend along the lower surface of the 

 leaf for a much greater distance in 0. villosum than in 

 C. spicerianum, and in both hybrids while the length of 

 the area is between those of the parents, it is slightly 

 nearer that of C. villosum (7 to 7.5 cm.) than C. spiceri- 

 anum (2 to 3 cm.) ; the length in C. lathamianum is 5 to 

 7 cm., in C. lathamianum inversum 5.5 to 7 cm. 



In all four plants the youngest leaf is somewhat short- 

 ened, embracing the base of the flower-stalk. In C. spi- 

 cerianum it is very much shorter than in C. villosum. 

 In both hybrids, it is between those of the parents, that 



