THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST 



Epipliytic species which occur, though sparingly, in the 

 mountainous districts of east Gippsland . 



In preparing tiiis paper, 1 wisli it to be understood that I claim 

 for it little or no scientific worth, as I have no desire to perpe- 

 trate any clumsy imitation of the splendid Botanic achievements 

 of our learned and esteemed fellow-member, Sir P. Von Mueller, 

 but simply to give yon a short account of such of our native 

 Orchids as may be met with by those who take an interest in 

 the delightful study of nature's treasures, and also that our 

 youthful members and others may be assisted in the recognition 

 of the various species which they may come across during our 

 Club excursions, which, by the way, I trust, may become more 

 general and extended than they have hitherto been. Baron a'ou 

 xVlueller, in one of his scientific and interesting papers, published 

 7/^,-C, f^D in the S.S. liecords ^ ^ has told us he would wish to request that 

 j"^ I these lovely kmds of plants, of which many species are so local 

 -jj- <^. -^nd so rarely flowering, should receive special attention from 

 ' ' ' ' 'collectors, or to be secured evon by those who are not engaged 

 3'* *?^ >'^P^n Botanical pursuits, but could not fail to take notice of the 

 -jjj; ,1^ beauty and oddness of Orchideous flowers, anywhere, even close 

 ' to homesteads. I trust, therefore, that his wishes in this respect 

 will be borne in mind by those interested, for as he further re- 

 marks, that there are yet chances of finding additional species, 

 or at least adding some knowledge of their geographical distri- 

 bution. 



In looking over a collection of our native orchids, wc find, r,s a 

 rule, green , or various shades of _blue , to be tlie pj-evailing colour ; 

 but this only holds good so far as the terrestrial species are con- 

 cerned, for in most of the Einphytal species ," wo find yellow and 

 white to predominate. It is true that we cannot boast of such 

 splendid specimens as there are to be found in tlie tropical forests of 

 Java, India, South America, .&c., such as the Cattleyas, Stanhopeas, 

 Vandas, &c., or the so-called cooler species, Odontoglosum,. 

 T>^.1I~ 9'^'TiMasdevallia, &c.; still Ave have in Dendrobium speciosum one of the 

 'i-ao^iwost beautiful of the whole order, and one Avhich, if Avell grown,, 

 Avould hold its own in any company of Orchids staged for exhibition. 

 Again, what could be more pleasing than the appearance of our 

 Brighton heath ground in the Orchid season, when the very soil 

 seems gay witii tlie tints of the various 'species of Caladenia , Thely- 

 mitra, (ilossodia_, &c., to say nothing of the more soberly-colouml 

 species of Pterostylis , Corysanthe s, Lyperanthus , &c., and other 

 curious kinds. An excellent and popular writer has said, that 

 '• everybody likes Orchid's : thoy command the admiration or attract 

 the attention of all classes of Hower lovers. People doat upon roses,, 

 and rightly so, their beauty and their perfume quite justify the 

 popular allegiance. Admitting," he says, " all this, it may yet he 

 said, in a general scu^e. that their attractiveness is confined to tlie 



