ALIS sin. XANTHOTROPIS reso. 7 
LALIA AUTUMN 
ca IA AUTUMNALIs, Lindl. : pseudobulbis attenuatis fusiformibus di — triphyllis, foliis oblongo-ligulatis acutis, pedunculo usque plurifloro, labelli 
trifidi laciniis posticis semiovatis antice rectangulis, lacinia antica oblonga rhombea acuta seu ova 
ssime punctulato, bracteis lanceis acutis. 
A AUTUMNALIS, Llav. Lexarz. Nov. Veg. Descr. IL. 19! 
IA AUTUMNALIS, Lindl. Gen. Sp. Orch, 115 !; Bat. Orch. Mex. Guat., t.9!; Lindl. Bot. Reg., xxv., 1839, t. 27!; Hook. B. Mag., xvii, 1841, 3847 !; 
Ill. Hort. 17!; Paxt. Meg, vi, 12! 
IA RO! , Hort. 
udobulbis multo longiores ac validiores, quam in Lelia furfuracea, Lindl. Folia spithamzea, imo longiora, latiora, angustiora. Pedunculus usque 
bipedalis, validus, squamatus, apice racemos Bractez longiores, angustiores, quam in Lelia furfuracea, acuminata, non obtusata. Totus flos late 
amcthystino purpureus, labelli laciniz laterales alba, carina: alba. Macula quaedam atropurpurea: in labelli basi. Sepala ligulata acuminata. Tepala 
cuneato-oblongo-lanceolata acuta, cunco bene longiori, quam in Laelia furfuracea. Labelli 1 's erecta, nunc in labello cxpanso rectangula, nunc 
contra antrorso obtusangulz, adeo ut lacini antic basin utrinque tegant. Carine inter lacinias posticas laterales mediane, media carina nunc tantum 
antice, nunc basin usque. Columna semitereti trigona alba. Androclini immersum, limbo | seu lobulatum, postice apiculatum. Basis columna 
ampliata. Caudiculas sapius reperi postice bifidas, antice simpliciter acutas. 
Srescit in Mexico: Pavon! Hartweg! Oaxaca, Karwinski! Morelia: Beaucoup de localités. Sur les chénes et sur les laves, dans les localités qu’on 
nomme Malpais, il couvre quelquefois une tres grande étendue. Octobre, Novembre. Les Indiens l’appellent “ flor de todos santos,” parceque vers la 
Toussaint sa flc n est la plus belle. Ghiesbreght ! 
VAR, XA OTROPIS : foliis brevioribus, minoribus, tepalis latissimis, labelli lacinia antica transversa, carinis flavis. 
Planta egregie dubia. Num inter Lalian autumnalem et furfuraceam hybrida ? HG. Rehb. f. 
carinis ternis inter lacinias laterales, ovario glabro scu 
re late! 
TRAVELLERS tell us that Laelia autumnalis is so highly esteemed by the native Mexicans, by whom it is called the Flor 
de los Santos (Flower of All Saints), that they adorn their churches with it on feast days during the flowering season, 
notwithstanding the fact that the journey from the towns to the haunts of this orchid often occupies from two to three 
days. Sometimes the natives save themselves the annual journey by bringing the plants from the mountains to their 
es from 8 ft. to 20 ft. in circum- 
gardens, where they fasten them to the trees. These plants are often enormous ma 
ference. European botanical collectors have looked upon these huge plants with envious eyes, and have occasionally been 
successful in making a bargain with their owners and have sent home the established plants. This is how Bartholomaeus 
our collector, managed to secure such grand masses of this Lzelia as he did some years ago. 
It is not surprising that a plant possessing such great beauty as to delight an Indian should become a favourite in 
European gardens. For nearly half a century it has been an occupant of English glasshouses, and even now, notwith- 
standing the continuous stream of new candidates for public favour, it still remains unrivalled among autumn-flowering 
orchids. It was first flowered in England by the Duke of Bedford, at Woburn, in 1838, and, as may be imagined, it 
charmed everyone who saw it. It has become tolerably common in good gardens ever since, but there was no marked 
variation from the original type until a few years ago, when a wonderful variety was imported from Mexico, possessing 
larger flowers and of an intensely deep crimson purple colour, varying also in the size and shape of the bulbs. This 
variety is named atrorubens, and is now far commoner than the ordinary form. Our portrait shows a variety which 
Prof. Reichenbach has named xanthotropis ; it possesses singular beauty, the flowers being wax-like and of a delicate 
shade of rose-pink, with a flush of purple crimson on the ends of the sepals and petals. The flowers range in size from 
three to four inches across, and the number of flowers on the spike varies from three to eight. They are very fragrant and 
continue in perfection for two or three weeks. The flowering season occurs between the end of July and the end of 
August. Our plate shows the natural habit of the plant, the rigid leathery foliage and drooping spikes being characteristic 
of the variety. The bulbs are ovate and larger than those of its near relative, L. furfuracea, which is, moreover, 
distinguished in growth by its furrowed bulbs and pale green leaves. 
This Lelia inhabits the mountains of Colima, in Mexico, at from 6000 ft. to 7000 ft. elevation, and is found prin- 
cipally near Oaxaca, where so many of the Mexican orchids occur. It grows on rocks and on decrepid old oaks, generally 
exposed to the full sun, indeed, the more exposed they are the finer the plants seem to be. As to its requirements under 
cultivation, we, in Europe, still seem to lack knowledge, for although orchid growers are tolerably successful in flowering 
the imported plants for a few seasons after they reach us from Mexico, they, as a rule, soon begin to deteriorate. One of 
the reasons for this, no doubt, is that we do not give the plants sufficient air and light, and also do not water them suffi- 
ciently during their active growth, and we shade the plants. It is one of those orchids requiring all the sun, air and water 
that can be given them while making their annual growth, therefore should never be shaded, and if the house is well 
ventilated it matters not if the temperature reaches as high as go deg. or 100 deg. F. in the day, but during the night the 
temperature must be allowed to fall naturally and not be maintained by artificial heat. The plants should be hung close 
under the roof of the house so that these conditions can be carried out easily. The growing period extends from May till 
October, then comes the resting season, extending through the winter till spring. During rest the plants must not have 
a drop of water and should be kept cool, that is to say, the temperature may fall as low as 50 deg. F., and should not be 
kept much higher by artificial heat. During the growing season the plants should be syringed well before the sun shines 
on them in the morning, and again during late afternoon. This Lelia, in orchid collections, is usually grown in the 
Cattleya house in summer, and wintered in a corridor, or some such cool and dry place, but we have seen it grown 
admirably in a plant stove with other plants, and even in forcing houses during summer. We repeat what we consider 
the essential conditions to be observed in the culture of this orchid. Abundant sunlight, air and water during growth, 
no shading in summer, and no artificial heat in winter, except sufficient to exclude frosts. 
