Floricultiiral and Botanical Notices. 457 



figures, and corresponding descriptions, of rare and splen- 

 did plants; and, as a single number, is unusually attractive 

 in itself, on account of the plates. First, we are presented 

 with a gorgeous Orchidaceous — of which, it is said, " noth- 

 ing can exceed the beauty and delicacy of the blossoms of 

 this plant, as they appeared in the Orchidaceous-house of 

 the Royal Botanic Gardens in the early spring of 1844, 

 continuing too, in great perfection, for several weeks. Per- 

 haps it is the most lovely of its tribe, and deficient only in 

 foliage, which here can scarcely be distinguished from the 

 stem, either in form or color." From its Sanscit name its 

 generic title is derived, viz. : Vanda, while the character of 

 the stem furnishes the specific, — teres; the Quill-leaved 

 Vanda. — {Lindley's Gen. and iSp. Orchid, p. 217. Bot. 

 Reg., t. 1809.) Indeed, judging from the plate, we scarce- 

 ly could conceive of a more singularly attractive blossom- 

 ing production ; and were we not in some little degree ac- 

 quainted with the bizarre character of the epiphytes of the 

 tropics, we might reasonably entertain some doubts regard- 

 ing its described merits. The great size of the flow-ers, 

 and, borne on lateral pedicels five or six of these, "of the 

 most delicate waxy texture," the sepals of which are near- 

 ly white, with a rosy tint : the spreading petals of deep 

 rose color, with pale, almost white, margins ; the lip spread- 

 ing, three-lobed, variegated with yellow and rose color, 

 spotted and streaked with red ; its stem round, terete, and 

 leaves terete and also elongate, obtuse, dark-green, with a 

 depressed line on their upper side, forming a contrast at 

 once apparent, while the tout ensemble is striking. 



Native of the Burmese empires, and under culture grows 

 well in a moist stove, suspended to a branch or piece of 

 wood. 



Next, we have a pretty Cactus, known only in the gar- 

 dens and in catalogues as FiChinocictus concinnus, and 

 for the first time published as a distinct species, unless 

 Echinocactus orthocanthus hink and Otto, — Pfiejfei'^s 

 Enumerated Cact. p. 53, be its synonym. It is a small 

 plant, two inches high, and three or three and a half inches 

 diameter, globose, depressed remarkably at the top, side 

 deeply and regularly ribbed ; spines eight or ten, bristle- 

 shaped, spreading in a stellate manner; flowers one or two, 

 generally from the border of the depressed summit, large, 

 handsome ; petals numerous spreading, yellow, with a dark 



VOL. X. NO. XII. 58 



