VALLOTA 



VANDA 



3429 



throat of a Hippeastrum. The plant deserves to be 

 better known among amateurs and cottagers. 



hybrida, Hort. Bull., is a hybrid between Vcdlota 

 purpurea and Cyrtanthus sanguineus, which is inter- 

 mediate in character between the two parents, both 

 in foliage and fls., the latter being borne in umbels and 

 a uniform bright orange-vermilion in color. 



WILHELM MILLER. 

 F. TRACY HtJBBARD.f 



VANCOUVERIA (after Capt. George Vancouver, 

 commander of the Discovery in the voyage to the north- 

 west coast in 1791-1795). Berberidacese. Low hardy 

 perennial herbs, grown in the garden border. 



Rhizome creeping: Ivs. pinnate, 2-3-ternately com- 

 pound: scape leafless, racemose or somewhat panicu- 

 late at the summit : sepals 6, in 2 rows, obovate, petal- 

 like, reflexed ; petals 6, ligulate ; stamens 6 : fr. a follicle, 

 dehiscent by a dorsal suture. Three species, natives of 

 the Pacific coast of N. Amer. The Ivs. are somewhat 

 like maidenhair or rue, and the fls. are rather small and 

 white or yellow. Vancouverias demand a rich soil in 

 rather shady positions. They are not showy plants, but 

 have foliage of an elegant and refined type. 



hexandra, Morr. & Decne. About 1 ft. high: root- 

 stock woody, slender: Ifts. roundish, mostly angulately 

 3-lobed and cordate: scape naked or 1-lvd.: panicle 

 simple or loose-branched: fls. white or cream-colored. 

 May, June. Coniferous woods, Brit. CoL to N. Calif, 

 near the coast. Gn. 30, p. 263. 



chrysantha, Greene (V. hexdndra var. aiirea, Rattan). 

 About 1 ft. high: Ifts. evergreen, rather 3-lobed, usually 

 whitened and pubescent beneath: infl. subracemose: fls. 

 somewhat larger than in V. hexandra. Ore. 



paryifldra, Greene. IXSIDE-OTTT FLOWER. From 

 &-20 in. high: Ivs. glabrous or with rusty hairs, per- 

 sisting through winter; Ifts. thickish, roundish in out- 

 line, broadly cordate at base, obscurely or evidently 

 3-lobed with a notch at summit of each lobe: panicle 

 bearing 25-^55 white or lavender-tinged fls. Coniferous 



WOods, Calif. F . TRACT HUBBARD.f 



VANDA (native name in India). Orchidacex. One 

 of the most attractive groups of East Indian orchids, 

 nearly all species having large handsome flowers. 



Dwarf and short -stemmed or tall and branched, some- 

 times climbing to a considerable height; erect species 

 forming compact plants, with sts. and branches well 

 clothed with 2 opposite rows of Ivs.; species like V. 

 teres with a loose straggling habit: Ivs. flat or chan- 

 neled and keeled or terete, sometimes fleshy and deeply 

 channeled; apex pointed, lobed or toothed: fls. in 

 racemes from the axils of the Ivs.; sepals and petals 

 similar, spreading, narrowed at the base almost to a 

 claw; labellum firmly united to the column, spurred, 

 lateral lobes small, erect, middle lobe spreading; pollinia 

 on a common stipe. About 25 species, natives of India 

 and the Malay Isls., with outlying species in China and 

 New Guinea. 



Notwithstanding the various conditions surrounding 

 the different species of vanda in their natural habitats, 

 the plants may nearly all be cultivated successfully 

 under the same general treatment. When a general 

 collection is grown, a house of east and west exposure 

 will be found best suited to the wants of vandas. The 

 plants require plenty of light and do not need any shade 

 from November until the middle of February. A 

 house of east and west aspect will require less shading 

 during late fall and early spring than one of southern 

 exposure, and there will be fewer ill effects from direct 

 solar heat at all times. From February until November 

 shading will be necessary, but it should never be too 

 heavy or black-spot is likely to appear. The winter 

 temperature should range from 60 to 65 F. by night 

 and 70 to 75 by day, w*ith a gradual increase of 10 

 during the summer months. A few degrees more with 



solar heat and ventilation will do no harm. The atmo- 

 sphere must be kept moist by damping the benches and 

 paths freely once or twice a day, and ventilation should 

 be given whenever possible, in greater or less degree 

 according to outside conditions. Especially during wet 

 cheerless weather is ventilation important, even if fire 

 heat has to be applied to retain the desired temperature. 

 Vandas may be grown well in either pots or baskets, 

 but the latter are preferable, as they admit air more 

 freely to the roots, whereby they are not so liable to 

 decay from overwatering during severe weather. The 

 best potting or basketing material consists of chopped 

 live sphagnum moss freely interspersed with large 

 pieces of charcoal. This material should be pressed in 

 rather firmly about the roots, leaving a convex surface 

 when finished. A plentiful supply of water is essential 

 at all seasons with copious syringing over the foliage in 

 bright weather. The compost should never be allowed 

 to remain dry for a long time. V. tricolor and similar 

 species grow very well among f oliage plants in the warm- 

 house, where then- large aerial roots, which are freely 

 emitted from the sides of the stems, may ramble among 

 the foliage and thereby retain moisture a long tune 

 after syringing. A few species, such as V. Amesiana, V. 

 c&ndea, and V. Kimballiana, with one or two other 

 alpine species, require about 10 cooler temperature, 

 but otherwise similar treatment to other species of the 

 genus. Stock is increased by removing a foot or more 

 of the leading growth with a sharp knife, allowing 

 several roots to remain attached to each growth and 

 basketing them in the usual manner. These new pieces 

 should be frequently syringed overhead until they 

 become established or they are likely to shrivel. The 

 old stems will nearly always send out several new 

 growths. The principal insect enemies of vandas are 

 several species of scale, which breed fast in a dry atmo- 

 sphere. They can be kept in check by syringing with 

 strong tobacco-water and by sponging the plants with a 

 20 per cent solution of alcohol. (Robt. M. Grey.) 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



A. Labellum spurred. 



B. Lvs. flat, or channeled and keeled, 



toothed or lobed at the apex, 

 c. Racemes loose: labellum with 



lateral lobes. 

 D. Fls. 1-lYi in. across. 



E. Color blue 1. caerulescens 



EE. Color yellow 2. parviflora 



3. spathulata 



EEE. Color white or pale yellow, but 

 streaked and shaded with 



brown 4. lamellata 



5. Bozallii 



DD. Fls. 2 in. or more across (some- 

 times less in Nos. 8 and 11). 



E. Color blue 6. cserulea 



EE. Color white 7. Denisoniana 



EEE. Color white or yellowish, but 

 spotted with purple or 

 brown. 

 r. Middle lobe of the labellum 



dilated, reniform 8. Bensonii 



9. insignis 



