ORCHID CONFERENCE. 149 



at the show. All sections were represented, and the number 

 of specimens of some of the species shown was very large. Of 

 these none were more extensively exhibited than 0. cri-sjjum 

 (Lindley;, alias 0. Alexandra, Bluntii, &c. This ever-popular 

 plant was to be seen with every variety of colouring and under 

 innumerable names, and afford an excellent example of the 

 difficulties of a systematic botanist in dealing with an easily- 

 grown and variable plant, the syiionoiny of which is already 

 very extensive and is still on the increase. No genus requires 

 more revision than this one. At present it is credited with up- 

 wards of one hundred species, many of which are probably 

 mere cultural varieties, or natural hybrids. 0. Pescatorei 

 (Lindley), a near relative of 0. crisjntm, was also extensively 

 exhibited, and is equally overloaded with nomenclature. Even 

 more critical are the brown and yellow-flowered section, cf 

 which 0. triumpham (Echb. f.), Hallii (Lindley), and helraicum 

 may be taken as types. Very many of these were shown, form- 

 ing a bewildering study to the systematic botanist. Among the 

 rarer and more interesting species were O. jjuleJieUutn, lave 

 curonarium, and facetum, shown by Sir Trevor Lawrence, 

 O. Oerstedil (Liudley), and Cercantesii (Lindley), by J. Southgate ; 

 and there were plenty of specimens of 0. Russii and citrosmum, 

 and the acuminate-petalled 0. yloriosum, nacum, and eirrhosiun. 

 There were no Miltonias shown, but the connecting links 

 between that genus and Odoiitoglossurn, in the shape of the 

 broad-flowered odontoglots, O. willarium and its allies, were 

 very plentifully exhibited. 



The Oncidia were almost if not quite as numerous as the 

 Odontoglossa. Of the cyrtochilum section were shown 0. Kienas- 

 tiamun (Rchb. f.) by Rev. J. B. Norman, superbiens (Lindley) by 

 J. Southgate, serratum (Lindley) and macranthum by Mr. Cor- 

 tauld, and several other species. The terete-leaved section was 

 represented by 0. juncifolium, referred by Dr. Lindley to a 

 variety of 0. cebolleta (Swarz), one of the most widely dis- 

 tributed of Oncidia. It was shown by Sir Trevor Lawrence, 

 who also sent 0. bifolium (Lindley). Other interesting species 

 were 0. Eduardsii (Rhcb. f.), of which several plants were 

 shown with large panicles of the small purple flowers ; O. pul- 

 chellum (Lindley), with small white and rose-coloured flowers, 

 was shown by Sir Trevor Lawrence and Baron Schroder ; 

 0. concolor (Lindley), Marshallianum, sphacelatum, and cucullatum 



