42 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 257. 



still. Collectors have not been ver}'- fortunate in their dis- 

 coveries, for I cannot name more than one of a first-rate 

 character, Cypripeclium Chamberlainianum. This plant 

 has not yet revealed anything like the magnificence M'hich 

 the vendors, Messrs. F. Sander & Co., say it assumes in a 

 wild state. It may, however, be expected to improve con- 

 siderably under cultivation, and we may yet see the tall 

 many-flowered scapes which characterize this species as 

 seen by the collector in New Guinea. C. Exul is distinct 

 enough, but wanting in attractions. 



The new Cattleyas of last year have not yet fulfilled ex- 

 pectations. C. Alexandras (Linden), instead of being "one 

 of the most beautiful of all Cattleyas," has proved so far 

 one of the poorest, the several plants which have flowered 

 quite justifying this view. It is hoped that these are ex- 

 ceptionally bad varieties. C. Victoria Regina is "mixed." 

 Messrs. F. Sander & Co. exhibited a plant of it in flower 

 early in the year, which was not wanting in beauty, but, so 

 far as I can ascertain, no one has yet had one that deserves 

 to rank with first-rate Cattleyas. C. Schilleriana, var. Lowii, 

 is very distinct in color, having lavender segments and a 

 blue and white labellum, but it looks worse than the type 

 in constitution, and the type is bad enough. C. Batalini is 

 another of the same category, being like C. Schilleriana, 

 with rose-purple flowers. C. Oweniana (Sander & Co.), C. 

 Statteriana and C. aurea, var. Statteriana (T. Staffer), are 

 forms of C. labiata, var, Dowiana, of which there are now 

 a considerable number. As was to be expected, some good 

 varieties have turned up among the thousands of plants re- 

 cently imported of C. labiata (Warocqueana), and some of 

 these have received names, such as C. labiata, var. San- 

 derae, C. labiata, var. alba, etc. Disa Cooperi and D, in- 

 carnata are very pretty in flower, but they belong to the 

 wrong section of the genus to be of much value in English 

 gardens. Bulbophyllum comosum (Kew), from Burma, is 

 a pretty little species with the habit of a Pleione, and erect 

 spikes bearing curved racemes of hairy white flowers, which 

 develop in January and are sweet-scented. B. O'Brienianum 

 (J. O'Brien) is another pretty little species from the Hima- 

 layas likely to interest those who love the smaller Orchids. 



Calanthe Sanderiana (F. Sander & Co.) is a likely plant 

 for the greenhouse, as it has the habit and sturdiness of C. 

 Natalensis, but is larger in flower and deeper in color. 

 Natal. Epidendrum Godseffianum and E. Watsonianum 

 (F. Sander & Co ) are evidently very robust-growing spe- 

 cies with large-branched scapes of yellow and purplish 

 flowers two inches across, but they are not likely to grow 

 so well with us as they do in the Brazilian forests. The 

 white-flowered Masdevallia Harryana, var. Gravesiae, ob- 

 tained by Mr. Sander from Mr. H. Graves, of New Jersey, 

 is the best new Masdevallia of the year. There are three 

 promising new Odontoglossums — namely, O. platycheilum, 

 a new species, now in the possession of R. J. Measures, 

 Esq., with creamy white Miltonia-like flowers, the large 

 labellum colored soft pink, with spots of purple ; O. Oweni- 

 anum (F. Sander & Co.), a large-flowered new species from 

 Colombia, with brown-spotted sepals and petals and a pure 

 white labellum, and O. Wendlandianum (F. Sander & Co.), 

 a new species, similar to O. blandum, the flowers white, 

 with chestnut spots, the labellum spotted with purple. 

 There are improved or distinct varieties of O. crispum and 

 O. Pescatorei this year as before. The allied genus, Onci- 

 dium, also yields a trio of promising additions, all of F. 

 Sander & Co.'s introducing : O. Rolfeanum, from Colombia, 

 is a brown-and-yellow-flowered species of the Microchila 

 section ; O. Saint Legerianum, from south Brazil, is an ally 

 of O. bifolium, with long scapes of bright yellow flowers 

 remarkable for the size of the crest and its bright purple 

 color, and O. Gravesianum, also of Brazilian origin, is one 

 of the crispum or praetextum fraternity. 



Phajus Sanderianus (F. Sander & Co.) I should call a 

 form of P. Wallichii, which Sir Joseph Hooker, in The Flora of 

 British India, makes to include P. bicolor and P. grandifo- 

 lius. Stanhopea Lowii (H. Low & Co.) is a large-flowered 

 species, not unlike S. ebarnea, I am told, but with purplish 



markings on the labellum. Sobralia Lucasiana (C. J. 

 Lucas, Esq.), S. Breyeriana (Seeger & Tropp) and S. Lowii 

 (H. Low & Co.) are all untried plants of apparently close 

 affinity to S. macrantha. Spathoglottis Viellardii, var. rubrse 

 (Sir T. Lawrence), is a dark-colored, large-flowered variety of 

 a very good stove Orchid. Vanda teres, var. alba (Lord Roths- 

 child), is, as its name indicates, a white-flowered variety of 

 considerable beauty — so far the best of the new introductions. 



Turning now to the hybrids of garden origin, we find an 

 enormous number, certainly running into nearly a hun- 

 dred. I must, in fairness, own to a prejudice against hy- 

 brids which have nothing to recommend them beyond their 

 mongrel character. A good hybrid is a plant to be proud 

 of, and there are some, a few, good ones among last year's 

 productions. The best is, I think, Cymbidium Winnianum, 

 raised by C. Winn, Esq., from C. giganteum and C. ebur- 

 neum, exhibited a few weeks ago by Sander & Co., bearing 

 six spikes of large beautiful flowers, creamy white, with 

 blotches of red-brown on the labellum. Cattleya leuco- 

 glossa (C. fausta x C. Loddigesii), C. Philo (C. iricolor x C. 

 Mossise), and C. Minacia (C. Loddigesii and C. labiata) are 

 the best of the hybrid Cattleyas flowered this year by Messrs. 

 J. Veitch & Sons. The St. Albans nurserymen have also 

 produced two good hybrids in C. Burberryana (C. imbri- 

 cata X C. superba) and C. Amesiae (parentage not given). 

 A hybrid named C. Baroness Schroeder (C. labiata, var. x 

 C. Jongheana), raised in the garden of Baron Schroeder, is 

 also deserving of special mention. 



There are over forty new hybrid Cypripediums among 

 the certificated plants of last year. The principal raisers of 

 these were Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, F. Sander & Co., and 

 Messrs. Pitcher & Manda. There are among them some 

 curious combinations, such as C. Brysa (C. Sedeni X C. 

 Boisserianum), C. Chrysocomes (C. caudatum x C. con- 

 chiferum), C. Cowleyanum (C. Curtisii x C. niveum), C. 

 Evenor (C. Argus x C. bellatulum), C. Juno (C. Callosum 

 X C. Fairreanum), C. Lawrebellum (C. Lawrencianum x 



C. bellatulum), C. Telemachus (C. niveum x C. Lawrenci- 

 anum) and C. Vipani (C. niveum x C. laevigatum). I am 

 informed that, strange and incomprehensible though it may 

 appear to outsiders, these hybrid Cypripediums are much 

 sought after by certain amateurs, and often realize very 

 high prices. With a genus like this it would be worth 

 while to self-fertilize the flowers and try what effect selec- 

 tion and cultivation would have on the size and colors of 

 the flowers of the later generations. 



Dendrobiums have yielded D. dulce (D. Linawianum x 



D. aureum), D. Wardiano-japonicum, D. striatum (D. ja- 

 ponicum x D. Dalhousianum), D. enosmum leucopterum 

 (D. nobile x D. endocharis), D. Adrasta (D. Pierardii x 

 D. superbum) and D. Euryclea (D. lituiflorum x D. Ward- 

 ianum). These are all Veitchian productions. Messrs. F. 

 Sander & Co. have also been successful, having flowered 

 during the year D. Rolfeae (D. primulimum x D. 

 nobile), and Sir Trevor Lawrence has bred D. burfordiense 

 from D. Linawianum and D. aureum ; Messrs. Veitch also 

 made this same cross, calling their plant D. dulce. 



Laelio-Cattleya Marriottiana (L. flava x C. Skinneri), L. 

 C. Phoebe (L. cinnabarina X C. Mossiae), L. C. Aurora (L. 

 Dayana x C. Loddigesii) and L. Latona (L. cinnabarina 

 X L. purpurata) are other hybrids of promise, for most of 

 which we are indebted to Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 



Phalaenopsis Amphitrite (P. Stuartiana x P. Sanderiana), 

 raised by F. Sander & Co., is a handsome hybrid of sturdy 

 constitution, and the same may be said of the Veitchian 

 hybrid, P. Artemis (P. amabilis X P. rosea). The produc- 

 tion of further crosses between Cattleya and Sophronitis by 

 Messrs. Veitch is only what we might have expected to 

 follow on their splendid success in producing Sophrocat- 

 tleya Batemanni. I have said elsewhere that the fact of 

 these plants intercrossing is a conclusive proof of their 

 near relationship. Still the boldness of the attempt deserves 

 all praise, more particularly as it has given us already sev- 

 eral beautiful hybrids. Sophrocattleya Veitchii (Sophro- 

 nitis grandiflora X Laelio-Cattleya elegans) and S. Calypso 



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