HORTUS VEITCHII 



made in Sarawak, and who himself afterwards became a 

 plant-collector. 



The plants brought home by Burke on this occasion included 

 large consignments of Cypripedium Stonei, C. Lowii, many 

 Vandas, Rhododendrons, and the beautiful Stove-foliage plant, 

 Leea amabilis, was also found. 



After seeing Burke and the collection safely shipped at Sin- 

 gapore, Curtis proceeded to Pontianak in Dutch Borneo, with 

 the special object of obtaining a consignment of Phalsenopsis 

 violacea, known in England but still rare. In this again 

 successful, but, owing to a mishap with the boat, a month's 

 collections and all his clothes and instruments were lost, and 

 he narrowly escaped with life. 



The beautiful Rhododendron Teysmanni and R. multicolor, 

 with the red variety Curtisii, were introduced through 

 Curtis: in themselves most gorgeous plants, they are quite 

 eclipsed by the valuable hybrids which have since been 

 derived from their cross fertilization. 



On terminating his engagement early in 1884, Curtis was 

 appointed Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens at Penang, 

 a post which he held until December 1903, when retirement 

 was necessary, and he returned to England, settling in his 

 native town of Barnstaple, in the county of Devon. 



The following plants received the specific name of Curtis 

 in commemoration of his services to Botany and Horticulture : 

 Nepenthes Curtisii, Cypripedium Curtisii, Medinella Curtisii, 

 Gastrochilus Curtisii, Rhododendron multicolor Curtisii, and 

 several others, enumerated in the body of this work. 



86 



