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ONCIDIUM SPLENDIDUM «. rica. 
ONCIDIUM SPLENDIDuUM, A. Rich., Duchartre, in Journ. de la Soc. imp. et centr. d’hort. 
de Paris, 1862, p. 50; Flore des Serres, t. 1825 ; Puydt, Les Orchidées, t. 33 ; Gard. Chron., 
Jan. 14, 1871, p. 42, cum. icon. xyl; Williams’ Orch. Man., 6 ed., p. 502; Warner & Williams’ 
Orchid. Album VIIL, t. 373. 
Pseudobulbis brevibus, rotundatis, ancipitibus, monophyllis ; foliis oblongis, subacutis, 
superne canaliculatis et basi conduplicatis, crassis rigidisque, undique sublente punctulatis ; 
Scapo pruinoso, erecto ; spica nutante, multiflora ; sepalis petalisque subqualibus, lineari- 
oblongis, undulatis, apice revolutis ; labello erecto, amplo, convexiusculo, pandurato auriculis 
parvis reflexis; lobio medio multo majore reniformi stipitato apice emarginato, tuberculis 
tribus totidem cristas angustas, longitudinales efformantibus, duobus inferioribus minoribus 
inter se parallelis cum tertio superiore multo majore alternantibus ; column alis geminis 
carnosis, obliquis, oblongis, semi ellipticis. 
ONCIDIUM TIGRINUM VAR. SPLENDIDUM, Bot. Mag,, t. 5878. 
Ex Guatemala. Herment! 1852. ’ 
THE first record of this fine Oncidium appears to be in Richard’s 
herbarium, where there is a dried specimen, presumably collected in 
Guatemala by Mons. Herment in 1852. It was not, however, until ten 
years later that it found its way into cultivation, as it flowered for the 
Tcones analytic, Flos divisus. Columna et labellum a St time in Europe in January, 1862, with MM. Thibaut and Keteleer, 
latere. Columna antice. Pollinaria, of Paris, who received plants from Mons. Herment, of Caen. These 
were distributed among a few Continental collections, and although their 
fame had reached England there was not a plant in the country until about eight or nine years after its introduction. 
Lord Londesborough, an enthusiastic lover of horticulture in his time, was among the first to possess a specimen of it. 
This flowered and was exhibited at a meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society in February, 1871, when its masses of 
large, handsome flowers caused a great sensation, and, needless to say, the plant obtained a first-class certificate. 
Within recent years various firms have been stimulated to import this species, and collectors have been 
despatched to various localities of Tropical America in the hopes of finding it. An erroneous impression prevailed 
that it was a native of Mexico, and our own collectors were sent to that country, but after a fruitless search of some 
months they informed us that it was nowhere to be found there. Then we directed them to go to Guatemala, and after 
a little time they found what they sought and sent it home, but not in great quantities until more recently, when they 
obtained a better knowledge of its habitats. Notwithstanding these importations, however, it can hardly be said that this 
species is so frequently met with as it ought to be. Perhaps this is because many consider they are near enough to 
it when they have O. tigrinum—a Mexican species which is certainly related, but which is inferior to O. splendidum, 
Their habit of growth is quite distinct, and the flowers, although resembling each other at a casual glance, are very 
different in form. In O. tigrinum the sepals and petals are spreading, and the lip is characterised by its long shank, 
with two auricles at the base, and deeply emarginate blade; while in O. splendidum the sepals and petals are always 
recurved, and the lip is, comparatively, only slightly emarginate, and does not possess a narrow shank. There are 
other differences in the crest and column sufficiently distinct to keep these two plants apart as separate species, and O. 
splendidum is exclusively a native of Guatemala, while O. tigrinum has as yet only been found in Mexico, The former, 
which our plate represents, is characterised by its roundish, compressed pseudo-bulbs, each bearing a single, dull green 
leaf about a foot or more long, very leathery and thick in texture, channelled above and prominently keeled beneath. As 
a rule, from fifteen to twenty flowers are borne on a long, more or less branched, arching scape during the winter 
months—a season when their appearance is very acceptable. We might, however, remark that in August of this year we 
had an imported plant in the nursery having an arching spike of four and a half feet long, bearing as many as forty-four 
flowers, the lips of which were each quite two inches across and of a deep golden yellow, with a reddish brown blotch 
on each side at the base. The reflexed and wavy sepals and petals are greenish yellow, heavily marked with large 
transverse blotches of rich purple brown, thus presenting a remarkable contrast to the striking colour of the lip. 
The successful cultivation of O. splendidum is a troublesome matter to many, who find that when the pseudo- 
bulbs have made about half their growth they suddenly begin to lose their plumpness, become watery, and at length 
rotten. That this is the case we ourselves know from experience, and have come to the conclusion that these plants do 
not require such a large quantity of water during the growing season as is generally prescribed for them. When it is 
considered that the pseudo-bulbs and - leaves are very thick and fleshy, and consequently contain abundance of moisture, 
it stands to reason that if too much water be given, the tissues become gorged and cannot perform their natural functions, 
with the result that the water becomes decomposed, and the pseudo-bulbs prematurely decay. This evil might, however, 
be avoided by means of a dry atmosphere, as evaporation could then go on; but this process is rendered impossible in an 
atmosphere already heavily laden with moisture. We, therefore, recommend for this species a tolerably warm and dry 
atmosphere, as much light as possible, and a moderate supply of water during the growing season. When this is at an 
end a cooler temperature will help to mature the growths, which, if well developed, ought to produce a crop of flowers 
presenting an aspect difficult to surpass. 
Our plate was taken from’a plant in the collection of Thomas Statter, Esq., Stand Hall, Whitefield, Manchester, 
