l6 TiMEHRI. 



tion of the vulgar notions of these plants ; " an orchid is 

 a parasite, ergo all parasites are orchids." The distinc- 

 tion between a plant which fattens on the juices of its 

 host and one that simply sits upon a tree, is not recog- 

 nised, and then, few know that the orchid family contains 

 terrestrial as well as epiphytal species, but that none are 

 truly parasitical. Epiphytes, as their name, denotes, are 

 tree perchers, but not vegetable leeches like those 

 monsters, the bird-vines (Loranthaceae). 



Epiphytes are by no means peculiar to the orchid 

 family, nor are all orchids epiphytes ; we must therefore 

 look out for some other definition. They can hardly 

 be described as shrubs or trees, although some of the 

 Sobralias grow into thickets and have almost woody stems. 

 They are not striftly herbaceous plants, as the vanilla 

 is a tall climber, nor can they be classed as bulbous 

 although many terrestrial species have tubers ; we are 

 therefore unable to lay down anything definite from 

 their habit or general chara6ler. Even when we come 

 to some of the peculiarities of certain families these are 

 by no means general. The pair of tubers from which the 

 name orchis is derived belong only to a few species, and 

 the pseudo-bulb of the epiphyte is by no means universal. 

 Some are leafless ; they vary in size from almost micro- 

 scopic dwarfs to great giants twelve feet or more high ; 

 some resemble small palms and bamboos ; they have 

 leaves thin as tissue paper or thick as sole leather, 

 broad as the hand or cylindrical like whip-cord; and 

 altogether perhaps vary as much in habit as in every- 

 thing else. On their particular line they are undoubtedly 

 the highest development ; nature has run riot with them. 

 They have got to the top of the tree, metaphorically as 



