872 



L^ELIA 



the former rose-colored outside; midlobe of the labellum 

 ovate, acute. Much like the type in color. I.H. 15:569. 

 Var. Kusselliana, Williams (L. Russelliana, Hort.). Fls. 

 large ; sepals somewhat narrow, white, suffused with 

 lilac; petals broader, deeper lilac; labellum large, rose- 

 lilac; throat yellow, marked with rose. Autumn. Var. 

 Schrcederi, Reichb. f. Sepals and petals white; labellum 

 white, with a tinge of rose in the center; tube pale yel- 

 low, with fine, dark purple lines. I.H. 38:139. Var. 

 Mandaiana, Hort. Pseudobulbs thinner and narrower 



1224. Lselia purpurata (X 



than in the type: fls. as large as those of the type, pure 

 white, with a faint tinge of pink on the labellum. Var. 

 praetSxta, Eeichb. f. No description of this plant is 

 available. 



23. P6rrinii, Lindl. (Cdttleya Perrinii, Lindl.). Pseu- 

 dobulbs elongate : Ivs. solitary, oblong, coriaceous, 

 8 in. long, equaling the stem: fls. showy, 2-3 on a 

 short stalk; sepals oblong-linear, obtuse; petals a lit- 

 tle broader, all rose-purple, darker at the tips; middle 

 lobe of labellum cucullate, expanded, oblong, obtuse, 

 undulate, with an inflated fistular cavity at the base, 

 destitute of ridges, color deep crimson; lateral lobes 

 erect, acute, pale. Oct.-Dec. Brazil. B.M. 3711. B.R. 

 24:2. P.M. 13:5. G.M. 37:717. A.F. 13:1196.-Fls. 

 rather pale. Var. alba, O'Brien. Fls. white, with the 

 labellum tinged with yellow. There are several pale 

 varieties of this plant. 



GROUP IV. 



A. Lvs. solitary. 



B. Scape 1-fld ...................... 24. monophylla 



BB. Scape several-fid ................ 25. harpophylla 



AA. Lvs. usually 2 ..................... 26. cinnabarina 



24. monophylla, N. E. Brown. Rhizome a matted mass 

 sending up tufts of leaf- and flower-stems: flowering 

 stems 6-10 in. long, as thick as a crow-quill, rigid and 

 erect, bearing a single linear-oblong, obtuse leaf 2-3 in. 

 long, and several sheathing bracts: fls. 1-2 in. across, 



aceous 



^ 



rolute, 

 , oval, 



LSELIA 



vivid orange-scarlet; sepals and petals similar, spread- 

 ing, oblong, subacute; labellum very small, lateral lobes 

 embracing the column, terminal minute papillose on the 

 disk. Mts. of Jamaica, growing on trees at elevations 

 of 3,000-5,000 ft. B.M. G683. 



25. harpophylla, Reichb. f. Hybrid much like L. cin- 

 nabarina. Pseudobulbs slender, about 10 in. long, each 

 bearing a single lance-linear leaf: raceme short, sub- 

 erect, bearing 5-10 brilliant scarlet-orange fls. : sepals 

 and petals oblong-lanceolate, acute; middle lobe linear, 

 acuminate, crisp, with a whitish spot. A luxuriant free- 

 flowering species. Feb., March. Brazil. Gn. 24:400. 

 P.M. 1879:372. Probably a hybrid between L. cinna- 

 barina and a Brassavola(?) Reichb. f. 



26. cinnabarina, Batem. Pseudobulbs elongate, cylin- 

 drical, but broadest at the base, sheathed with scales, 

 bearing 1-2 linear-oblong, reflexed, acute, coriaceous 

 Ivs. : raceme terminal, erect, 15-20 in. long, with 

 medium-sized reddish orange fls. : sepals and 

 linear-oblong, obtuse, spreading; labellum convoh 

 reflexed; lateral lobes acute, middle lobe large, oval, 

 crisp. Brazil. B.M. 4302. P.M. 7:193. A summer- 

 flowering species whose peculiar color and graceful habit 

 render it very ornamental. Var. crispilabia, Veitch 

 (L. crispilabia, A. Rich. L. Lawrenciana, Hort.). Fls. 

 amethyst-purple; labellum darker, finely crisp and un- 

 dulate: raceme 12-14 in. long, bearing 3-5 fls. A pretty, 

 free-flowering variety. 



Latlia Latdna, Hort. Veitch. Sepals and petals light orange- 

 yellow: labellum whitish at base, the rest purple bordered 

 with orange-yellow: middle lobe much undulated. A garden 

 hybrid between L. cinnabarina and L. purpurata. Not adver- 

 tised in America. A. Pericat, Philadelphia, writes as follows of 

 this plant: "Laelia Latona, raised by Veitch, is a beautiful hy- 

 brid Laelia of a distinct and unusual color from L. purpurata 

 X L. cinnabarina, the latter being the seed parent. The sepals 

 and petals are of light orange-yellow; lip whitish at the base, 

 the remainder red-purple bordered with orange-yellow, the 

 margin of the apical spreading; lobe is much undulated s " 

 HEINRICH HASSELBRING. 



Laelias may be divided into three cultural groups: 

 (1) those which have clavate pseudobulbs and which 

 bear a nearer affinity to Cattleya than the others; (2) 

 those with long, rounded, slender stems, and (3) those 

 with pseudobulbs more or less pyriform in shape. 



Those of the first group should be placed amongst the 

 warmer-growing Cattleyas. Examples are L. purpurata, 

 L. grandis, L. Digbyana, L. glauca and L. Boothiana. 

 Those of the second, or slender-bulbed group, succeed in 

 a much cooler and shadier spot, and need more moisture, 

 both in the atmosphere and at the roots. Examples are 

 L.pumila, L. harpophylla and L. monophylla. Of the 

 group with pear-shaped bulbs, L. anceps, with its nu- 

 merous varieties, is perhaps the best known. 



Others are L. autumnalis, L. majalis and L. albida. 

 To these may be added such species as L. cinnabarina, 

 L. flava, and some few others of similar habit. These 

 require at all times a sunny, airy position, with abun- 

 dance of overhead watering during their period of 

 growth, and after flowering a severe resting period, the 

 one great object being to keep them inactive for as 

 long time as possible. L. autumnalis and L. majalis 

 require somewhat different treatment, since they flower 

 from an incompleted bulb, and should, therefore, re- 

 ceive attention until the bulbs are solid, when the drier 

 condition must be observed. 



The best method for cultivation of specimens of t 

 first group is to pot them in the ordinary flower-pot, 

 but for very large specimens a basket is preferred as a 

 more ready means of carrying off the water and afford 

 ing better and sweeter conditions for the roots. T 

 potting material should be composed of about two-thirds 

 good peat or fern root and the remainder fresh sphag- 

 num moss. The cultivator should use good judgment 

 as to when to water the plants. No hard and fast rules 

 can be laid down in regard to this. More can be accom- 

 plished by watchfulness than ever can be written. 



The slender-bulbed species require about equal parts 

 of peat and moss. Such species as L. pumila do best 

 in rather small pans and may be suspended from th 

 roof. All these thin-bulbed species enjoy shade rather 

 than direct sunlight. More moisture is essential both 

 atmospherically and at the roots, and at no season should 



