52 ONCIDIUM. 



acute, 8 — 12 inches long. Scapes 5 — 7 feet long, branched almost 

 from the base, the branches slender, distant^ gradually shortening 

 upwards. Flowers numerous, 1| inches in diameter; sepals and petals 

 similar and sub equal, elliptic-oblong, acute, greenish brown barred with 

 light yellow-green ; lip white, three-lobed, the side lobes small, oblong, 

 obtuse, the intermediate lobe broadly clawed, transversely oblong, 

 emarginate ; crest a narrow raised plate with two minute teeth on each 

 side, terminating in one long erect tooth and two smaller horizontal ones 

 in front. Column wings hatchet-shaped, rose-pink, the face below the 

 stigma bright yellow. 



Oncidium leucochilum, Batem. in Bot. Eeg. sub. t. 1920 (1837). Id. Orch. Mex. 

 et Guat. t. 1 (1840). Paxt. Mag. Bot. VII. p. 241. Lindl. Fol. Orch. Oncid. 

 No. 167. Eegel's Gartenfi. 1873, t. 763 (speciosimi). Echb. in Gard. Chron. 1873, 

 p. 978 (Dawsonianum). Cyrtochilum leucochilum, Planchon in Van Houtte's Fl. des 

 Serves, V. t. 522 (1849). Bclg. liort. 1885, p. 287. 



Originally discovered on the mountains of Guatemala in 1835 by- 

 Mr. G, Ure Skinner, who sent plants to Mr. Bateman at Knypersley, 

 where it flowered for the first time in this country in the autumn of 

 the following year. Three years afterwards it was detected by 

 Hartweg, near Malacotan, in southern Mexico, and a little later it was 

 imported from that country by Mr. 11. Bunney, of the Kingsland Nursery 

 and subsequently by other horticultural firms. On account of the 

 remarkable combination of colours observable in its flowers, Oncidium 

 leucochilum is justly regarded as one of the most attractive of the 

 genus. Many variations in colour have appeared in different gardens, 

 but none of them sufiiciently distinct to require separate notice ; in 

 all of them the lip when first open is white, a character which 

 suggested the specific name Xhikcx;, " white/^ and y^tiXog, "a, lip.'^ 



On. Lietzei. 



Pseudo-bulbs sub-cylindric, compressed, 3 — 5 inches long, invested to 

 half their length by whitish membraneous sheaths. Apical leaves 

 two, oblong-lanceolate, acute, 6 — 8 inches long. Scapes slender, 30 — 36 

 inches long, dull purple mottled with M'hite below, panicled above. 

 Flowers numerous, not fully expanding, bright red-brown sometimes 

 spotted with yellow ; upper sepal obovate-oblong, concave, the lateral two 

 connate into a narrow oblong blade bidentate at the a^iex ; petals nearly 

 equal and similar to the upper sepal, with undulate margin ; lip broadly 

 obovate-oblong Avith two basal linear reflexed auricles,, and a fleshy 

 tuberculose crest on the disk in front of wdiich are two erect teeth. 

 Column wings oblong, obtuse, sub-falcate, white. 



Oncidium Lietzei, Eegel's Gartenfi. 1881, t. 1044. Id. 1887, t. 1279 (aureo-macula- 

 tum). 



