HYBRIDISATION. 95 



of hybridising operations and the results oljtaiued from them, we may 

 safely reply that thus far the stability of tlie genera (as established by 

 Bentham) is scarcely affected, for the dozen or so of genera concerned 

 in the parentage of these hybrids, both Avild and artificially raised, falls 

 far short of the number of those in which experiments have been made 

 but which quite failed to produce results. Moreover, the progenies 

 derived from these bigeneric crosses are extremely restricted; in more 

 than one case a single plant only has been raised. The genera concerned 

 can thence scarcely be said thus far to be affected by these crosses, 

 but the systematic place of some of them seems to call for revision — 

 thus Calanthe placed by Bentham in the sub-tribe Ccelogynb^ next to 

 Pholidota has a much closer affinity with Phaius, and should be placed 

 next to it in the sub-tribe BLETiEiE. Colax merged by Bentham into 

 Lycaste should be restored and placed next to Zygopetalum, and 

 Sophronitis should precede Tetramicra (Leptotes). 



A special nomenclature that shall designate, so tar as regards the 

 genei'a, the origin of these hybrids is manifestly a most convenient 

 one both for scientific and for garden use. We have therefore 

 unhesitatingly adopted the course initiated many years ago by Dr. 

 Maxwell T. Masters in naming a hybrid raised by Mr. Veitch Senior, 

 at Exeter, from Lapagerm rosea and Philesia huxifolia, Philageria x 

 Veitchii, that is — by compounding in the most feasible way the names 

 of the two genera concerned. 



The hybrid raised artificially between any two species is not 

 always exactly intermediate between them so far as can be discerned 

 by the sum total of morphological or naked-eye characters. There 

 is often a greater or less divergence towards one parent, especially 

 in those cases in which a species has shown a very marked potency 

 to hybridise with other species. 



A few instances of such may be easily selected. Among Dendrobes 

 D. nohUe has strongly impressed its general features on every hybrid 

 in which it has participated in the parentage whether as pollen or 

 seed parent. Among Cypripedes the influence of C. Spicerianum is as 

 strongly marked as D. nohile among Dendrobes. C SchHmii has in like 

 manner greatly preponderated throughout the large group of hybrids 

 known as the Sedenii group, of which it is one of the original parents. 

 Gypripedinm Fairieanum has proved a potent agent in hybridisation, 

 but it has hitherto been used chiefly, if not solely, as the pollen parent. 

 The characters of C. villosum, C. insigne and C. venudnm have also 

 much preponderated in the flowers of the progenies of which these 

 species are the pollen parents. 



Cattleya labiata and its Colombian varieties have been crossed with 



