50 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



flowers. It was a very fine plant, especially considering its age 

 — about four years. 



Mr. Cartwright said the plant was never wholly dried off; he 

 did not put water in the pot, but sprinkled a little over the plant 

 every day. 



MEETING FOR DISCUSSION. 



Saturday, March 14, 1874. 



Edward S. Rand, Jr., exhibited a spike of flowers of Phahis 

 grandifolius, and a flowering plant of Bletia hyacintJmia, to show 

 the difierence between the two species, the former having until re- 

 cently been classed as a Bletia. The generic diflference is stated 

 by Lindley (Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants, p. 126) as 

 follows : — " From Bletia, this genus \^Phaius'] is distinguished by 

 the labellum being constantly connate with the base of the column 

 and spurred, while in Bletia the labellum is constantly articulated 

 with the column and never spurred." 



Marshall P. Wilder said that Mr Rand had misunderstood his 

 remarks on a previous occasion. He did not doubt that PJiaius 

 was properly separated from Bletia, but felt an attachment to old 

 things and old names. 



Mr. Rand, in reply to an inquiry from C. M. Hovey, said that 

 he believed Bletia ShepJierdii was not at present in this country. 



Mr. Hovey said that he had a plant under that name, and asked 

 whether it would flower from the base or summit of the pseudobulb. 

 Mr. Rand replied that it would probably send out its flower stem 

 from the summit of the pseudobulb, as he knew of no Bletia flower- 

 ing from the base, but he could not speak positively, for among 

 the Ejddendrums there is a single species, Stamfordianum, flower- 

 ing from the base, while all the others flower from the summit, and 

 possibly there may be a similar exception among the Bletias. 



Mr. Rand exhibited a flowering plant of Cypripedium Ilarrisi- 

 amim, a hybrid raised by Mr. Dominy, gardener to Messrs. Veitch, 

 by applying the pollen of C. barbatum to the stigma of C. villos- 

 sum. It partakes of the character of both those species, the leaves 

 having the markings of those of the former and the length of those 



