598 oeohid-grower's manual. 



and the flowers, whicli are gaily coloured, fleshy in texture 

 and usually very fragrant, are collected into loose racemes. 

 The flowers have free subequal much spreading sepals and 

 petals, and a lip which is continuous with the base of the 

 column, saccate or obtusely spurred, the lateral lobes erect, 

 the middle lobe spreading oblong. About twenty species are 

 referred to this genus, mostly natives of Tropical India and 

 the Malay Archipelago. 



Culture. — They require the same treatment as Aerides, 

 except that they require but little shade — the less they have 

 the better they will flower. They will blossom two or three 

 times during the year when treated in this way. Propagation 

 is effected by taking ofi" the young growths which spring from 

 near the base of the stem, or by cutting the stem as directed 

 in the case of Aerides. 



V. Batemanm, Lindley. — A noble and stately plant of up- 

 right growth, the stout stem clothed with distichous leathery 

 lorate leaves which are obtuse and obliquely emarginate at 

 the tip, and of a pale green colour. The long erect scapes 

 are axillary, and bear many large spreading flowers, of which 

 the sepals and petals are thick and fleshy, falcate, obtusely 

 obovate ensiform, yellow spotted with crimson in front, 

 rosy purple at the back, fading to violet at the edge ; and the 

 lip is triangular saccate at the base, and of a purple-crimson 

 colour, the front part furrowed and incurved, the disk 

 bearing an elevated tooth, and its base a short transverse 

 crest. It blooms in July, August, and September, and 

 continues blooming for three months. — Philippine Islands; 

 Moluccas. 



'FiG.—Bot. Reg., 1846, t. 59 ; Moore, III. Orch. PI, Vanda 1 ; Flore des 

 Serves, tt. 1921-2 ; Gaudickaud, Freyc. Voy., t. 36. 

 Syn. — V. lissochiloides, Fieldia lissochiloides. 



Y. Bensoni, Bateman. — A very elegant addition to this 

 beautiful genus, and allied to V. Roxburghii. It is a free- 

 growing plant a foot or more in height, producing distichous 

 channelled leathery lorate leaves, which are unequally toothed 



