284 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



low the surface of the soil. After a thorough watering 

 they should be stored in a coldframe and protected with 

 boughs. By the first of February, they may be removed 

 to a cool house, where they remain for a week, and then 

 placed in a carnation temperature and watered sparingly 

 until growth starts. They flower better in partial shade. 



378. Dendrobium, botanical classification. (Name 

 from Greek tree, and life, referring to their epiphytic 

 habit) ; species, many ; the most common commercial 

 species being : 



densiflorum (March and April), yellow with orange-yellow 



labellum ; 

 Devonianum (April and May), petals and sepals white with the 



upper part purple ; labellum white with a deep purple blotch 



in throat ; 

 Findlayanum (March to June), petals and sepals pale pink; 



labellum yellow margined with white ; 

 infundibulum (May to August) , petals and sepals white ; labellum 



large with an orange-yellow blotch in throat ; 

 nobile (May to July) , petals and sepals white with pink tips ; 



labellum white with a blotch of purple at the tip ; throat 



dark crimson ; 

 thyrsiflorum (May and June), sepals and petals white; labellum 



yellow ; 



Wardianum (February to April), petals and sepals white; label- 

 lum yellow, white on margin with a narrow blotch in 



throat. 



379. Dendrobium, botanical characters. Epiphytes. 

 Dendrobiums are orchids having very variable characters 

 in the pseudobulbs, some being narrow and several feet 

 long, others very small and thin. The flowers are borne 

 in racemes, in fasciculate clusters or solitary. They em- 

 brace a wide range of colors, white tipped with purple, 

 yellow or pink. The leaves are thick and leathery. The 

 pseudobulbs are, for the most part, smaller at the base 

 than at the tip, and distinctly jointed. 



