July 9, 1890.] 



Garden and Forest. 



333 



The supplement of the Gardeners' Chronicle of the same 

 date represents a magnificent specimen of Dendrobium De- 

 voniannm, grown at Arddarroch, in Scotland, with 864 Mowers. 

 This is considered a difficult plant to manage, and it is rarely 

 seen in collections in good condition. The secret of its suc- 

 cessful cultivation seems to consist in growing it on rapidly 

 as soon as the flowers have faded and then giving it a long 

 rest in a cool, airy house, that the deciduous leaves may ripen 

 and fall and the pseudo-hulbs become thoroughly matured. 



Foreign Correspondence. 

 London Letter. 

 New Plants.- — In an appendix to the Kew Bulletin for June 

 a list is given of all the new plants introduced into cultivation 

 during 1889. Not only English, but Continental and American 

 publications, have been consulted in compiling this list, which 

 is therefore as complete as is possible. In addition to new 



petals, which spread to a width of four and a half inches ; the 

 sepals are broad, and the lip is formed as in C. niveum. The 

 color of the whole flower is pure white, with numerous red 

 spots arranged in lines on the sepals and petals. A plant of it 

 was recently awarded a first-class certificate by the Royal Hor- 

 ticultural Society. Like all the hybrids of which C. niveum is 

 one of the parents, C. Aylingii is elegant in the form of its 

 flowers and pretty in color. Except in the markings of the 

 flower, there is very little of the character of C. ciliolare in the 

 hybrid. 1 am told that the owner has asked 600 guineas for 

 this hybrid ! 



Odontoglossum Galeottianum is merely a variety of 0. nebu- 

 losum, differing from the type only in being much smaller in 

 flower and unspotted on the sepals and petals. It was shown 

 here last week as a new plant. 



Masdevallia muscosa. The plant at Kew of this exception- 

 ally interesting species flowers freely" at least twice a year. It 

 is in bloom now, and its shaggy scapes, curiously formed 

 flowers and highly sensitive labellum attract a good deal of 



. 45. — Ptelea aplera. — See page 332. 



plants brought into cultivation for the first time, all re-intro- 

 ductions of any note are included. A plant may have been in 

 cultivation several years before its introduction is recorded. 

 Such plants as Palms and other foliage plants which do not 

 flower until large, are often well known in gardens under gar- 

 den names, whilst botanists are unaware of their existence. 

 The Kew list is of special value for the following reasons : 

 Reference is given to the publication in which the plant was 

 first mentioned or described. Besides the natural order and 

 country, a brief description of each plant is given. In every 

 case the plant is cited under its published name, although the 

 name may be doubtfully correct ; corrections are, however, 

 given where possible. The name of the garden where the 

 plant was first noted is also stated. It will be seen from this 

 that as a reference list for botanists as well as horticulturists 

 this publication is specially valuable. Similar lists were pre- 

 pared for 1 887 and 1 888. The cost of each is only twopence, and 

 the publishers are Eyre & Spottiswoode, Fleet Street, London. 

 Cyj>ripedium Aylingii is one of the prettiest of hy- 

 brids. Its parents are C. niveum and C. ciliolare, and it was 

 raised in a garden at Enfield. In habit and foliage the plant 

 resembles C. niveum, but the flower partakes of the characters 

 of both parents. It has broad, slightly twisted and curved 



attention. The species is very rare in cultivation. Botanically 

 it is of the highest interest from its being the only Masdevallia 

 in which the character of sensitiveness is known ; indeed one 

 might almost say the only Orchid with this character, that men- 

 tioned by Darwin as occurring in Australia being practically 

 unknown. 



Another of the famous collections of Orchids recently 

 formed in England is about to be sold by auction. I refer to 

 that formed by Mr. F. G. Tautz, at Studley House, Hammer- 

 smith. This collection is especially rich in rare Cypripediums, 

 Odontoglossums and garden Orchids generally. It would ap- 

 pear that Orchids, like horses or pictures or other luxuries, 

 may become too expensive, so that with every collector who 

 goes on with them there are others who tire of them, or find 

 the pace too hot. Whilst the number of large representative 

 collections of Orchids in England is probably decreasing, there 

 are, on the other hand, hundreds of small select collections of 

 recent formation. Some amateurs make a specialtv of one or 

 two genera such as Masdevallia, Cypripedium, Cattleya or 

 Lycaste, growing all the kinds obtainable. In the interests of 

 horticultural botany, the work of these specialists is valuable 

 from the fact that it is better to do one thing well than to do a 

 dozen indifferently. 



