514 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Orchideaa continued. 



connate (Cypripedium), or all three coherent (Masde- 

 vallia] ; the inner lateral (the petals) similar ; the third 

 inner segment (the lip) origina..iy superior, but afterwards 

 becoming inferior by the twisting of the pedicel, dissimilar, 

 usually larger, extremely varied in shape and colouring, fre- 

 quently spurred (Angrcecum, &c.) or pouched (Cypripe- 

 dium); stamens united with the style into a column, 

 usually one opposite the upper sepal, sometimes two 

 (Cypripedium) opposite the two lateral petals ; anther 

 two-celled (or one-celled by absorption of the septum), 

 or four-celled by more or less perfect secondary septa; 

 pollen agglomerated into two, four, or eight, pear-shaped, 

 usually stalked masses (pollinia), lodged in the mem- 

 branous pockets of the anther, and composed of grains, 

 usually collected by fours into numerous groups, cohering 

 by means of elastic filaments, or gathered round a cellular 

 axis; grains sub-pulverulent, easily separable, or agglu- 

 tinated into a solid, compact, waxy tissue ; pollen- 

 masses sometimes free, usually fixed, either directly or 

 by means of a pedicel (caudicle), to a viscous gland 

 (retinaculmn), which may be exposed, or inclosed in one 

 or two pouches; ovary inferior, often long, and twisted, 

 one-celled (more rarely three-celled), trigonous ; style 

 often terminating in a beak (rostellum) at the base of 

 the anther, or between its cells ; stigma a viscid surface 

 facing the lip, beneath the rostellum ; seeds innumer- 

 able, very minute, fusiform ; testa very lax-reticulate and 

 albuminate. Leaves sheathing at the base, glabrous, 

 rarely velvety (Eria), very firm in texture (Cattleya), or 

 membranous (Liparis), cylindric (Brassavold), linear (Iso- 

 thilus), or linear-lanceolate, usually entire or emarginate, 

 as in Vanda, or some Angraecums, fan-shaped (Pogonia) 

 or heart-shaped (Listera) ; nerves parallel, rarely reticu- 

 late (Dossinia, &c.), now and then developing buds on 

 their- surfaces, as in some Spiranthes and Malaxis. Stem 

 or scape usually simple, cylindric or angular, often 

 leafless. According to the authors of the " Genera Plan- 

 tarum," there are 334 genera and about 5000 species ; in 

 that work, these are divided into five tribes, the principal 

 distinguishing characteristics of each being here given. 



TRIBE I. EPIDENDREJE. Anther one, dorsal, operculate, 

 usually incumbent, with the cells distinct and parallel ; 

 pollinia waxy, in one or two series, parallel, two to four 

 in each series (one to four in each cell), free, or joined 

 in each cell by a little viscous substance, or a granular 

 appendage, very rarely attached to the rostellum. This 

 tribe contains eighty-eight genera, and is divided, by 

 Bentham and Hooker, into nine sub-tribes ; it is repre- 

 sented, in both hemispheres, by both terrestrial and epi- 

 phytal genera, and includes some of the most beautiful 

 garden plants: Calanthe, Cattleya, Dendrobium, Lcelia. 



TRIBE II. VANDE.S. Anther one, dorsal, operculate, 

 incumbent, or applied to the rostellum; cells most fre- 

 quently confluent; pollinia waxy, usually two or four, 

 applied to each other in pairs, posterior and anterior. 

 Yandex is divided into nine sub-tribes, and contains 

 129 genera, the great majority being epiphytes. This 

 group is represented almost in equal numbers in tropical 

 Asia and America; there are many members in Mada- 

 gascar, few in Africa, and very few beyond the tropics. 

 Familiar examples are : Aerides, Odontoglossum, Onci- 

 dium, Phalcenopsis, and Vanda. 



TRIBE III. NEOTTDLB. Anther one, posterior, oper- 

 cnlate, or erect and persistent; cells distinct, parallel; 

 pollinia granular, powdery, or sectile. Stems without 

 pseudo-bulbs. There are six sub-tribes of Neottiece, and 

 eighty-one genera, nearly all of which are rhizomatose 

 terrestrial plants Vanilla is sub-epiphytic. They have 

 erect, simple stems, which are leafy at the base, or are 

 quite leafless. Neottieae are represented in both hemi- 

 spheres, a considerable number being extrartropical. 

 Examples are: Anasctochilus, Pogonia, Sobralia, Vanilla. 



Orchideee continued. 



TRIBE IV. OPHRYDE^E. Anther one, posterior, erect, 

 prostrate, or reflexed, with parallel or divergent, distinct 

 cells adnate to the clinandrium, and often continuous 

 with the rostellum ; pollinia granular, produced into a 

 caudicle in each cell. There are thirty-two genera of 

 Ophrydeae, divided into four sub-tribes. All are terres- 

 trial plants, with tuberous roots, the largest number of 

 genera being found in South Africa, and but few in the 

 tropics. The species are, perhaps, most numerous in 

 the Mediterranean region. Examples are: Aceras, Disa, 

 Ophrys, Orchis. 



TRIBE V. CYPRIPEDIE.B. Anthers two, lateral ; the 

 rostellum prolonged into a shield between the anthers ; 

 pollen powdery. This tribe contains but four genera, 

 only two of which, Cypripedium and Selenepedium, are 

 in cultivation ; the first is widely distributed over the 

 temperate and tropical regions of both hemispheres, the 

 latter being confined to the mountainous regions of South 

 America. The two genera not in cultivation, Apostasia 

 and Neuwiedia, are respectively limited to tropical Asia, 

 and Australia and tropical Asia. AH four are ter- 

 restrial herbs. 



Linnaeus, in the middle of last century, only knew 

 about a dozen exotic orchids, whereas now, probably, half 

 the known species are, or have been, in cultivation in 

 this country. By far the larger number inhabit tropical 

 forests ; they become less plentiful in temperate regions, 

 and are almost absent from very cold ones perhaps not 

 more than two or three enter the Arctic Circle. They 

 vary exceedingly in size ; the Javan Galeola altissima, 

 which has been said to be the largest known orchid, 

 attains a length of more than 100ft.; but a Vanilla 

 has been seen under cultivation with a stem even longer 

 than this. Drymoda picta is one of the smallest of 

 Orchids ; it has a dull green, small, disk-like pseudo- 

 bulb, from which springs a minute and very deciduous 

 leaf. Angroecum funale, and some other species of the 

 same genus, as well as some of the African Vanillas, 

 are quite leafless, and depend upon the chlorophyll pre- 

 sent in the strap-like roots of the first-named, and in 

 the long stems of the latter genus. 



Scarcely any natural order of plants is more free from 

 fungoid attacks than are Orchidece ; for what is known 

 about the fungi which have been observed on cultivated 

 Orchids, the reader is referred to a paper by Mr. Wor- 

 thington G. Smith, in the " Gardeners' Chronicle " (n. s., 

 xxiv. p. 693). This volume also contains an account, 

 by Professor Westwood, of the various phytophagous 

 insects which have been found on imported Orchids. 

 Among some of the other important results of the 

 Orchid Conference of 1885, may be specially mentioned 

 the paper on the Hybridisation of Orchids, by Mr. 

 H. J. Veitch. This also is published in the " Gardeners' 

 Chronicle " (n. s., xxiv. p. 628), and is illustrated by 

 figures of seeds and seedlings of Cypripedium, Dendro- 

 bium, and Phalcenopsis. 



" Of the few orchids which are of use to man, the 

 Vanillas (Vanilla claviculata, planifolia, &c.) hold the 

 first rank. They are sarmentose plants, natives of the 

 hot and damp regions of Mexico, Colombia, and Guiana 

 [and tropical Africa]. Their fruit is a fleshy, long cap- 

 sule, and the black, globose seeds are enveloped in a 

 special tissue, which secretes a balsamic oil ; if kept in 

 a dry place, the capsule becomes covered with pointed 

 and brilliant crystals of benzoin acid, and imparts its 

 delicious perfume to various delicate dishes, chocolates, 

 liqueurs, &c. The Faham (Angrcecum fragrans) is a 

 native of Bourbon; its leaves, known as Bourbon Tea, 

 taste of Bitter Almonds, and smell like Tonquin Beans ; 

 they are used to stimulate digestion, and in pulmonary 

 consumption. Salep, which is imported from Asia Minor 

 and Persia, is produced by the tubers of several species 

 of Orchis, which are equally natives of Europe (0. 



