ONCIDIUM. 



39 



One of the handsomest of the genus^ and often called from the 

 yellow border of all the floral segments the '^gold-laced Oncid." 

 It was discovered by Gardner on the Organ Mountains in 1837, 



Oncidium Forbesii. 



and sent by him to the collection of the Dake of Bedford at 



Woburn^ where it flowered in October of the following year^ and 



after whose gardener^ Mr, Forbes, it was named by Sir William 

 Hooker. 



On. Gardner!. 



Pseudo-bulbs ovoid, 2 — 3 inches long, much compressed and furrowed 

 longitudinally when old, diphyllous. Leaves linear- or oblong-lanceolate, 

 obtuse, 6 — 9 inches long, dark green above, often purplish beneath. 

 Scapes 18 — 36 inches long, with a small sheathing pale bract at each 

 joint and at the base of each pedicel, panicled along the distal half, 

 many flowered. Flowers about 2 inches in diameter ; sepals clawed, 

 obovate-oblong, brown barred with yellow, the dorsal one concave, the 

 lateral two connate to beyond the middle ; petals much larger, shortly 

 clawed, sub-orbicular with undulate margin, chestnut-brown with numerous 

 yellow markings along tlie margin ; lip spreading fan-shaped with two 

 small auricles at the base, bright yellow with a broad zone of red-brown 

 confluent spots next the undulate margin ; crest a fleshy triangular body 

 with the apex in front studded with red-brown warts, on each side of 

 the apex are two warty protuberances. Column wings narrow roundish. 



