PH.EXOCOMA 



PHAIUS 



2569 



of 45 to 50 at night, with about 10 rise with sunshine. 

 In midwinter the temperature may drop to 40 at 

 night. Any repotting may be done after they are 

 through flowering. Compost used for potting these 

 plants should be loam and fibrous peat in equal parts, 

 left lumpy, and about one-third of silver sand added to 

 the mixture. Give the pots thorough drainage. They 

 may be increased from cuttings made of the points of 

 some of the moderately strong growths, leaving them 

 about 3 inches long. Place in pans filled with sand. 

 Give them a temperature of about 55, keeping them 

 moderately close, shaded, and moist. When they show 

 signs of root-formation they may be given more light. 

 When rooted, pot off into small pots using the compost 

 mentioned above, and by shifting and the same culture 

 they grow into good plants in two years. When they get 

 into 8- or 10-inch pots, with plenty of roots, they may 

 have liquid feeding which will help to retain their 

 vigor. These plants are not much seen in this country, 

 but should be more grown. (J. J. M. Farrell.) 



prolifera, Don (Xerdnthemum prdiferum, Linn. 

 Hdichrysum proliferum, Willd.). An old cult, plant, 

 now little grown: sts. woody, 1-2 ft. high, much 

 branched, short side-branchlets tomentose and with 

 minute closely imbricated scale-like Ivs., on the main 

 sts. the Ivs. acuminate, rigid, and deciduous: heads 

 terminal, solitary, 1-1^ in- across; involucre with 

 many rows of woolly-based scales, the inner ones being 

 rosy purple as if rays and lanceolate-acuminate. Mount- 

 tains in the Cape" region. B.M. 2365. B.R. 21. Var. 

 Barnesii, Hort., has heads of deep crimson. 



L.H. B. 



PHJEOMERIA (Greek, dark and j>arf). Zinoibera- 

 cea?. Perennial herbs from a thick rhizome, grown in 

 the hothouse for their foliage and fls. Flowering sts. 

 separate from the leafy ones; the latter not rarely tall, 

 sometimes gigantic and forming very dense reed-like 

 thickets; the former erervwhere smaller although 

 sometimes about 3 ft.: Ivs. distichous, often numerous, 

 rather large, provided with a commonly leathery 

 ligule: fls. sessile, in spikes or heads, often large or very 

 large, either broad-pyramidal or subglobose, rarely 

 concave at the top, surrounded commonly by a rather 

 large involucre composed of colored bracts, the flowering 

 bracts smaller and less intensely colored; calyx tubular 

 or subclavate, frequently deeply split on one side, often 

 very short-acuminate or not at all tabulate at the top; 

 corolla-tube narrowly cylindrical, dilated toward the 

 top; the lobes narrow, subspatulate, subequal: caps, or 

 rather berries massed together somewhat resembling a 

 pineapple. About 16 species. Ceylon, to New Guinea. 

 Phaeomeria was formerly included in Amomum but is 

 now considered a distinct genus. P. magnified, Schu- 

 mann (Alplnia magnified, Roscoe. Amomum magnifi- 

 cum, Benth. <fc Hook, f.), is described under Amomum. 

 See Vol. I, p. 275. p. TRACY HUBBAKD. 



PaEONEIJRON (Greek, dark nerve). Melastoma- 

 cae. Half shrubby or perennial herbs: Ivs. opposite, 

 the opposed pair often differing in size: fls. 5-ranked, 

 medium-sized; calyx obovate, margin entire and not 

 crenate; corolla broad-oval, rather acute; stamens 10, 

 equal or subequal; anther rather thick, linear, connec- 

 tive drawn out behind in a thick almost quadrangular 

 appendage and provided in front with 2 fleshy ball-like 

 thickenings; pistil twice as long as the stamens; ovary 

 5-celled, the lower hah" joined to the calyx-tube by the 

 septa?: fr. a fragile apparently unevenly bursting caps.; 

 seeds numerous. About 4 species, Trop. Afr. P. Molo- 

 neyi, Stapf. St. herbaceous, terete: branches obtusely 

 tetragonous: petioles and panicles covered with purple 

 furfuraceous pubescence: Ivs. 4-6 in. long, ovate or 

 elliptic-ovate, subacuminate, base rounded or subcor- 

 date, 5-7-nerved: infl. terminal, lax-fld.; fls. short- 

 pedicelled; calyx hemispheric, mouth truncate, entire; 



petals obliquely obovate, pale rose-purple within: fr. 

 a globose berry; seeds rhombic-cuneiform, numerous. 

 W. Afr. B.M.7729. A tropical house plant cult, spar- 

 ingly in botanic gardens. F . TR^ HUBBARD. 



PHAIOCALANTHE (compounded from Phaius and 

 Calanthe). Orchiddcese. A group of orchids established 

 to contain the hybrids between Phaius and Calanthe. 

 PC. Cblmanii (C. Regnieri Stevensii x P. Norman). 

 PC. Cobksonii. J.H. HI. 68:443. PC. grdndis (C. 

 Bryan x P. grandifolius). PC. Schroederiana (C. gigas 

 X P. Wallichii). Sepals and petals lilac, the lip claret- 

 colored. G.M. 44:387. PC. Sedeniana (C. Veitchii x 

 P. grandifolius). Sepals and petals delicate primrose, 

 flushed at base with pale rose, the lip pale primrose, 

 bright yellow at base and on keels, the lobes flushed 

 with rose 



PHAIOCYMBiDIUM (compounded from Phaius 

 and Cymbidium). Orchiddceie. A group established to 

 contain hybrids between Phaius and Cymbidium. P. 

 chardivarensis=P. grandifolius x C. giganteum. 



PHAIUS (Greek, dark; referring to the color of the 

 flowers). Often spelled .Phajus. Orchidacex. Very large 

 orchids with ample foliage and tall clustered stems ter- 

 minating in racemes of showy flowers. 



Sepals and petals similar, spreading or half-spreading; 

 labellum large, with the lateral lobes inclosing the 

 column, usually gibbous or spurred behind; column 

 slender; pollinia 8. Distinguished from Calanthe by 

 the free labellum; from Thunia by the leafless bracted 

 scape which does not terminate the leafy axis. About 

 20 species, natives of Trop. Asia, Afr., Austral., China, 

 Japan, and the South Sea Isls. 



The genus Phaius includes both epiphytic and terres- 

 trial representatives. The noteworthy epiphytic types 

 are native of Madagascar, including P. tuberculosus, P. 

 simulans, and P. Humblotii. However they are not 

 frequently represented in orchid collections. They 

 enjoy a warm moist atmosphere as for vanda. The pot- 

 ting medium should include chopped peat and moss in 

 equal proportion. When potting, small rafts with the 

 potting medium packed around or sections of fern 

 stems, the latter being preferable, should be placed in 

 the center of the pot or basket. The terrestrial species, 

 especially P. grandifolius, are well known, being one 

 of the first orchids put under cultivation. It dates as 

 far back as 1778, when it was imported from China. 

 Various species are native to low-lying swampy places 

 of tropical Asia and Australia, and have also become 

 naturalized in the West Indies. They are of easy cul- 

 ture and will grow in an ordinary warmhouse associated 

 with palms. They delight in moisture throughout the 

 year, in a growing medium of sandy fibrous sod-soil, 

 with plenty of organic fertilizer in a dried state mixed 

 with the soil and also in liquid form when in full growth. 

 The main factor to bear in mind is perfect drainage. 

 Plants are increased readily by the division of the 

 dormant pseudobulbs. Upward of thirty garden 

 hybrids are under cultivation at the present tune, 

 including some interesting bigeneric forms. (G. H. 

 Pring.) 



A. Fls. yellow to brown. 



maculatus, Lindl. Pseudobulbs ovate, 2-5 in. high: 

 Ivs. 3-4, broadly lanceolate, plicate, lJ^-2 ft. long, varie- 

 gated with numerous yellowish spots: fl.-sts. about 2 ft. 

 high, bearing a raceme of 10-15 yellow fls. each 2-3 in. 

 diam.; sepals and petals half spreading, oblong, obtuse; 

 labellum erect, with the apex recurved, streaked with 

 orange, wavy and crenate, sides convolute over the 

 column, and the base prolonged into a spur half as 

 long as the ovary. Spring. N. India and Japan. B.M. 

 2719 (as Bletia Woodfordii)} 3960. L.B.C. 19:1803. 

 A good spring bloomer. 



