108 



VANDA. 



Thomas Lobb, who had discovered it in the western part of the 

 island^ and where it had been detected probably earlier by Dr. 

 Blume, who found it growing on the stems of the sugar Palm 

 {Arenga saccharifera), and who described it under the name of V. 

 suaveolens in his Rumphia published in 1848, but as Dr. Lindley's 

 name has priority of publication, Blume's suaveolens must sink as a 

 synonym. It has since been occasionally imported from Java, where 

 it occurs on the hills in the western part of the island at 1,500 

 — 2,500 feet elevation, growing chiefly on large trees that were 

 originally planted to shade the now abandoned coffee plantations. 

 From its first introduction, V. tricolor has been observed to be 

 very variable in the colour of its flowers, and on account of the 

 high repute in which this orchid has been held by amateurs, many 

 distinguishing names have been given to colour deviations from the 

 type. The most distinct of these are the varieties planilabris and 

 suavis, which differ from the typical V. tricolor in the characters described 

 above. Dr. Lindley gave specific rank to suavis, in which he has been 

 followed by horticultural writers, but as it was long since pointed 

 out by Sir W. J. Hooker,* there are no structural differences of 

 sufficient value to separate them specifically. It is always associated 

 with V. tricolor in its native home, and is imported mixed with it, 

 but in numbers small in proportion to the type ; it was first 

 introduced by us through Thomas Lobb at the same time as V. tricolor 

 and was for many years one of the rarest of Vandas in cultivation. 

 The sub- varieties are more difficult to discriminate, and their nomen- 

 clature is in great confusion from diflferent forms having received 

 the same name, and the same form different names in different 

 collections. Those described above are for the most part from 

 materials kindly supplied by Baron Schroeder, from his rich collection 

 at The Dell; and by Mr. Owen Thomas, gardener to the Duke of 

 Devonshire, at Chatsworth, and which, we believe, accurately 

 represent the forms originally so named. 



V. Vipanii. 



Leaves linear, about a foot long, decurved, imbricating at the base, 

 unequally bi-dentate at the apex. Eacemes shorter than the leaves, 

 5 — 7 flowered. Flowers 2 inches in diameter on white, twisted, grooved 



* Bot. Mag. sub. t. 5174. 



