i8o 



Garden and Forest. 



[ArRiL 9, 1^90. 



also, the putrid 9CI01" of the flowers is intended to protect the 

 plants from animals, which, if it were not for the smell, might 

 eat them. It is remarkable that whilst the native animals in 

 Africa avoid Stapelias, the introduced sheep and goats eat 

 them, and in those parts of the colony where these animals 

 are most abundant the Stapelias have been almost extermi- 

 nated. Apparently the "foreign" animals are not to be 

 deceived by the smell. Something analogous to this is seen 

 in the fruit of the Durian, the smell of which is detestable 

 whilst the flavor is delightful. 



Stapelias have long been cultivated at Kew and in a few 

 other gardens in England. Mr. Brown himself has a good col- 

 lection of them, and there are several amateurs who make 

 Stapelias their specialty. In 181 1 the Kew collection contained 

 no less than forty-four species, the number of Orchids culti- 

 vated at that time being only thirty-seven. In 1868 about eighty 

 species had been or were in cultivation in England. Between 

 these two periods richly illustrated monographs and treatises 

 on these plants and their allies were published by Masson, 

 Jacquin, Haworth, etc. In the Botanical Magazine alone be- 

 tween thirty and forty species are figured, all from plants cul- 

 tivated at Kew. At the present time close upon a hundred 

 species are represented by living plants at Kew. Two 6f the 

 most wonderful — namely, Hoodla Barklyi and H. Bainil — 

 flowered here about ten years ago. This genus is, however, 

 difficult to keep. Decabelone, Huernia, Duvalia and Bouce- 

 rosia, all closely related to Stapelia, and all equally interesting, 

 are in cultivation at Kew and elsewhere. 



Mr. Brown's collection is accommodated in a small green- 

 house attached to his dwelling, and his success in the manage- 

 ment of these plants has been so marked, whilst the treatment 

 he follows is so easy of imitation, that I quote what he says on 

 the question of cultivation : 



"One interesting feature connected with Stapelias is the 

 vitality of their seeds and the rapidity with which they germi- 

 nate. When sown in moist, sandy soil, and placed in a green- 

 house heated in summer only by the sun's rays, the night tem- 

 perature going down to sixty degrees Fahrenheit, or lower, 

 they germinate in less than forty-eight hours. Most of them 

 are comparatively hardy, and under shelter, if the soil is kept 

 dry, will stand a succession of slight frosts of from one to three 

 degrees Fahrenheit, and some will endure as much as eight 

 degrees of frost without injury, if not continued for more than 

 a few hours. I have many plants now living, which I have 

 cultivated for sixteen or eighteen years, that almost every win- 

 ter have been subjected to a slight amount of frost during 

 severe weather." 



Where available, I would recommend the following treat- 

 ment as better even than that described by Mr. Brown : 

 Summer temperature, minimum, sixty degrees, with exposure 

 to all sunshine. Whilst growing these plants require as much 

 water as ordinary pot plants ; they thrive when planted in 

 light sandy loam, well drained. In winter the temperature 

 should not fall below forty-five degrees, and the atmosphere 

 about the plants should be kept as dry as possible. They do 

 not require any water at the roots from November until about 

 the end of March. Should the plants rot at the base the de- 

 cayed parts must be cut away and the stems must belaid upon 

 sandy soil. S. gigantea may be grown in a moist stove all the 

 year round. Seeds of Stapelias may be obtained from Conti- 

 nental nurserymen. Mr. Hanbury has a large collection of 

 these plants in his garden at Mentone. Professor Todaro, in 

 the Palermo Botanic Gardens, also grows a considerable num- 

 ber of them. TT - , JT , 



Kew. W. Watson. 



Orchid Notes. 



Lycaste aromatlca. — This species may not possess sufficient 

 merit to rank among the most handsome Lycastes. It is, nev- 

 ertheless, a very desirable one, and worthy of the gardener's 

 attention on account of its free habit and large fragrant flow- 

 ers, which possess the additional recommendation of appear- 

 ing in great numbers during the dull months of December 

 and January. 



It was first introduced from Mexico in 1824 by Lord Napier, 

 and since that time has passed through the hands of botanists 

 under the names of Colax aromallcus and Maxlllaria aro- 

 matlca until Dr. Lindley consigned it to the genus in which it 

 now stands. From a structural point of view the flowers of 

 Maxillaria and Lycaste resemble each other very much; hence 

 in gardens many Lycastes are known as Maxillarias, and vice 

 versa. One of the easiest means to distinguish these two 

 genera is that Lycastes always have thin, plicate leaves, while 

 Maxillarias are recognized by their stiff, flatfish leaves, trav- 

 ersed by three to five strong nerves. 



Lycaste aromatlca has deep green, ovoid pseudo-bulbs, 

 measuring from three to five inches long and becoming more 

 or less angled with age. Three or four oblanceolate, plicate 

 leaves, a foot or more in length, are borne on the summit of 

 each pseudo-bulb, from the base of which spring the slender 

 one-flowered scapes six to eight inches long, having at each 

 node (there are usually four or five) a large dark brown spa- 

 thaceous bract. As many as twenty flowers, each about three 

 inches across, are often produced from one pseudo-bulb, and, 

 owing to the olive-green color of the broadly ovate, acute sepals 

 and the bright cadmium-yellow of the smaller erect petals, they 

 present a very striking appearance to the surrounding plants. 

 The lip is three-lobed and colored like the petals, with the 

 addition of several dark red spots at the base and a deeper 

 yellow raised callus on the disc. There is a variety known in 

 gardens as Punctata, which may be readily distinguished by 

 having (on the lower portion of the petals) several blood-red 

 blotches, similar to those on the base of the lip. 



This Lycaste may be grown either in pots or baskets in the 

 usual mixture of fibrous peat and sphagnum. In winter the 

 temperature may range from sixty to sixty-five degrees, Fahr., 

 gradually rising to about ten degrees higher in the summer 

 months. Growth begins in spring and continues until the end 

 of autumn, when the pseudo-bulbs begin to ripen, after which 

 they shed their leaves and produce their flower-scapes. 

 Plenty of water may be given during the growing period, but, 

 as the time of flowering approaches, less and less will suffice. 

 When the blooms have all vanished, the plants require a rest 

 of a month or two, during which time very little is necessary- — 

 indeed, only just sufficient to prevent the pseudo-bulbs from 

 shriveling. 



Odontoglossum trlumphans. — From February until the end of 

 April this is one of the most conspicuous species of the genus. 

 It is usually called a handsome species, and deservedly so, on 

 account of its large, showy flowers, which individually 

 measure over three inches across. From eight to ten is the 

 usual number, borne on an arching scape, two to three feet 

 long. The oblong-acute sepals and the broader petals, with 

 erose or irregularly-toothed margins, are golden yellow, the 

 former having a few large chestnut-brown blotches, the latter 

 being decorated with similar, but smaller and' more numerous, 

 blotches. The blade of the lip, which is ovate or cordate- 

 acuminate, with denticulate margins, is folded at the tip, and 

 has a large deep brown blotch on the anterior portion, bor- 

 dered by a more or less narrow yellow margin, while the lower 

 portion is creamy white, sometimes tinged with yellow, and 

 furnished with a forked, elevated white crest, on each side of 

 which are shorter teeth. The column is over an inch long, 

 pale green at the base, passing into pure white upward, and 

 having on each side of the anther a large, slightly toothed, 

 brownish wing. 



0. triumphans is indigenous to the mountains of Colombia, 

 where it grows at an altitude of 5,000 to 10,000 feet above sea 

 level. It was first discovered about 1842 by M. Linden, near 

 Pamplona, and some years later by Warscewicz. The latter, 

 however, thought it was O. Hallll, and sent it to Europe as 

 such, and this caused confusion between the two species for 

 some time. 



Plants of this species should be grown in a cool house — 

 that is, one the temperature of which in winter varies from 

 forty-five to fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit, rising a few degrees 

 more in the summer months. As much diffused light as pos- 

 sible should be given, and the atmosphere should always be 

 kept moist by means of damping the floors and sides of the 

 house. During growth plenty of water may be given, and 

 when the bulbs are getting ripe as much air as possible should 

 be given so as to assist in the process. 

 St. Albans. ' John Weathers. 



Andromeda floribunda. — The mild winter has not brought 

 this beautiful Evergreen into flower much before its usual 

 time. It is just opening its first flowers now, March 25th, not 

 much over a week ahead of last spring. There are so few 

 good broad-leaved Evergreens that will thrive here, that this 

 one is valuable on that account, aside from its great beauty. 

 The small panicles of flower-buds are formed in the autumn, 

 and are usually so numerous as to almost hide the leaves. In 

 this condition they are very pretty, and it is not uncommon for 

 passers-by in the winter to consider the shrub in full flower. 

 A shady place protected by larger shrubs is suitable for this 

 Andromeda, and I find a well drained, light soil to suit it well. 

 In such a place it ripens its wood well, and this has a great deal 

 to do with the question of hardiness. 



Cercidiphyllum Japonicum. — I have marked this Japanese tree 

 growing in many situations and find that it does the best in 



