16 



Orchids and their Cultivation. 

 By W. J. Kaye, F.E.S. Read October 8th, 1908. 



Orchids are divisible into two large main divisions — those that 

 grow in the ground, or terrestrial orchids, and those that grow on 

 trees or rocks, and known as epiphytal orchids. To the former class 

 belong all our native orchids, comprising the genera Malaxis, Liparis, 

 Corallorhiza, Epipactis, Cephalanthera, Listera, Neottia, Epipogium, 

 Spiranthes, Goodyera, Orchis, Habenaria, Aceras, Herminium, 

 Ophrys, and Cypripedium. These genera contain thirty-six species 

 that we hold as British, the genus Orchis claiming eleven out of the 

 number. Several of the species are very abundant, while others 

 are extremely local. Cypripedium calceolus, Spiranthes cestivalis, 

 Epipogium aphyllum, Cephalanthera rubra, and Corallorhiza innata 

 are all extremely local and scarce in Great Britain, while Malaxis 

 paludosa, although widely distributed, is always scarce. All the terres- 

 trial species have roots thickened into tubers or occasionally into a 

 bulb projecting above ground such as in Malaxis paludosa. 



Bentham, in his handbook to the British flora, defines the British 

 Orchidacea? thus : " Perennial herbs with the roots or stock often 

 thickened into tubers, entire and parallel nerved leaves and irregular 

 flowers, either solitary or in spikes, racemes, or panicles, each one 

 in the axil of a bract. Perianth superior, irregular, with six usually 

 petal-like segments ; the three outer ones, called sepals, and two of 

 the inner ones, called petals, often nearly alike ; the third one, 

 called the lip or labellum, differing from the others in shape and 

 direction. Opposite to the lip, in the axis of the flower, is the 

 column, consisting of one, rarely two, stamens, combined with the 

 pistil ; the two-celled anther or anthers being variously situated on the 

 style itself. Pollen rarely granular, more frequently cohering into one 

 or two pairs of oblong or globular pollen masses tapering at one 

 end into a point. Ovary inferior celled, with three parietal 

 placentas. Capsule three-valved, with innumerable minute seeds 

 resembling fine sawdust." 



This definition is for the British species, which are all terrestrial, 

 but except for the alteration of " roots thickened into tubers " into 

 "growth usually thickened into pseudo-bulbs " in the case of epi 

 phytal orchids, the definition holds for all orchids whether terrestrial 

 or epiphytal. 



Terrestrial orchids are found in all parts of the globe, being found 

 in every continent, and from the equator almost to the limits of the 

 arctic regions. They are the only orchids that occur in Europe, and 



