124 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



gnisli tlic fniiiil\' from others whose flowers possess in common the 

 same facilities for re[)roiliiction, and boar the stamens, pistil, pollen, 

 etc., in a more familiar shape. Lindley's description of the Orchid 

 famil}', in a botanical sense, is as clear and concise as any which 

 can be given. He says: "The order owes its chief peculiarities 

 to the following circumstances : firstly, to the consolidation of all 

 the reproductive organs, such as the pistil, stamens, etc., into one 

 common mass called the column ; secondh', to the suppression of all 

 the anthers except one in the mass of the order, or two in Cypri- 

 pedeae ; thirdly, to the peculiar condition of its pollen, which in- 

 stead of the typical powder takes the form, in most cases, of a 

 waxy mass ; fourthly, to the very general development of one of 

 the inner leaves of the perianth, or petals, in an excessive degree, 

 or in an unusual form." As an instance of this, we have the gay 

 lip of the Cattleya, or the upright banner of the Cypripedium. 



Another notable fact, connected with this famil}', is the singular 

 inabilit}- of the flowers of orchids to fertilize themselves as in 

 the case of other families. Owing to their peculiar construction, 

 the}' depend upon the efforts of insects for the transfer of pollen 

 from one to the other, and in some species, like the Coryanthes, 

 the insect which attempts a visit to the flower has a strange pro- 

 cess to go through before he can be liberated with the pollen. 



There are some exceptional species like certain of the Cypripe- 

 diums, Phaius, and others of that class which grow in the ground, 

 or on rocks near the ground, but b\' far the greater number of or- 

 chids are epiphytal in character, — that is, they grow upon stems or 

 branches of trees, at greater or less elevation from the ground ; and 

 I may at this point correct the popular impression that the Orchid 

 is a parasite because of its habit of growth. It is not a parasite in 

 any sense, as it takes no life from the branch upon which it grows, 

 but draws its main sustenance from the air and moisture whicii sur- 

 round it, its roots also taking some slight nourishment from the 

 layer of vegetable debris or fibre which generally accumulates upon 

 the liml)sof trees in the tropics, where decay is rapid. In that re- 

 gion, the linest orchids are often found in the tops of the highest 

 trees, and at such an elevation that it is almost impossible to secure 

 them except by cutting down the tree, or b}' engaging the services 

 of expert native climbers. Collectors and travellers tell us that in 

 journeying through the habitats of orchids, few are seen in the 

 lower shades of the forests ; which are singularly bare of that 



