36 



ONCIDIUM. 



A very handsome species, first discovered by Matthews, in 1838, 

 at Chachapojas in Northern Peru, and afterwards by Spruce on the 

 Andes of Ecuador, and by Warscewicz near the sources of the 

 Amazon. It flowered in Messrs. Loddiges' nursery at Hackney in 

 1839, but we find no further record of its being in cultivation till 

 1862, when it flowered in the collection of the late Mr. Thomas 

 Dawson, at Meadowbank, near Glasgow, who had obtained it at a 

 sale, and on which occasion it was figured in the Botanical Magazine. 

 It was again figured in the Illustration horticole for 1870, under the 

 name of Oncidium aurosum, from plants collected by Gustav WalHs, in 



Oncidium excavatum. 



1865, in southern Ecuadorj and sent by him to M. Linden's horti- 

 cultural establishment at Brussels. Since that date it has been 

 generally cultivated, and has proved to be very variable in the size 

 and colour of its flowers. 



The specific name excavatum was suggested to Dr. Lindley " by 

 a deep pit excavated on the under side of the labellum near 

 the base, and only to be seen by looking at the back of the 

 flower and putting aside the two lateral sepals." 



On. falcipetalum. 



Pseudo-bulbs ovate-oblong, 3 — 4 inches long, diphyllous. Leaves 

 variable in size, ligulate, or lanceolate-ligulate, acute, 12 — 15 or more 

 inches long and 1 — 2 inches broad. Peduncles stoutish, flexuous, 

 several feet long, branched at irregular intervals, each branch bearing 

 3 — 6 flowers ; bracts oblong, acute, h inch long. Flowers 2i — 3 

 inches in diameter; sepals russet-brown with a narrow yellow margin, 



