148 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 214. 



New or Little-known Plants. 



New Orchids. 



Cypripedium X "Monsieur FiNET," Hort. — A verydistinct 

 hybrid raised between C. callosum superbum and C. Gode- 

 froyse by Monsieur Regnier. It is said to be one of the 

 most beautiful hybrids known, and to be comparable with 

 C. X tessellatum porphyreum and C. X Van Houttei. The 

 flower is lined and spotted with green and rosy purple on 

 a paler ground, which becomes white toward the margin of 

 the dorsal sepal. It is quite intermediate in shape. — Or- 

 chidophile, 1891, pp. 321, 333, 335, with figures. 



Cypripedium X Bosscherianum, Hort. — A hybrid raised by 

 Monsieur Ch. Vuylsteke, of Loochristy, Ghent, Belgium, 

 between C. Spicerianum and C. barbatum superbum. The 

 dorsal sepal is very broadly rounded, strongly reflexed at 

 the sides, bright at the base, white above, with deep purple 

 midvein and fine light purple nerves on either side, with 

 paler transverse reticulations. The petals and staminode 

 are much like those of C. Spicerianum, except that both are 

 rather flatter, and the lip is about intermediate in charac- 

 ter. — Gardeners' Chronicle, January 2d, p. 11. 



Cypripedium x decorum, Hort. — A hybrid raised by Mon- 

 sieur Jules Hye-Leysen, of Ghent, Belgium, between C. x 

 Sallieri Hyeanum and C. Lawrenceanum. The dorsal 

 sepal is deep brown, shading into dark green toward the 

 base and into pinkish magenta near the white margin. The 

 lip is metalhc brown in front, and paler behind, and the lip 

 garnet, flushed with mauve. — Gardeners' Chronicle, January 

 2d, p. II. 



Leptotes bicolor, Lindl., var. brevis, Rolfe. — A distinct 

 variety with short broad segments, and the front lobe of the 

 lip broadly elliptical, obtuse, and pure white instead of pur- 

 ple. It appeared with Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, of 

 Upper Holloway, in a batch of the ordinary form. — Gar- 

 deners' Chronicle, January 9th, p. 42. 



Cypripedium x Cowleyanum, O'Brien. — A handsome hybrid 

 raised by Mr. Cowley, in the collection of F. G. Tautz, Esq., 

 of Ealing, by crossing C. Curtisii with the pollen of C. ni- 

 veum. It is fairly intermediate in character, and bears 

 some resemblance to C. x Marshallianum. The flower is 

 white, the dorsal sepal with about fifteen clear dark pur- 

 plish crimson, somewhat dotted, lines, and tinged with 

 rosy purple between them, and the petals covered with 

 small dark purplish crimson spots. The lip is bright rosy 

 purple, and the staminode dark purple, with a white mar- 

 gin. — Gardeners' Chronicle, January i6th, p. 73. 



Cypripedium x Ensign, O'Brien.- — A hybrid raised in the 

 collection of C. Winn, Esq., of Birmingham, between C. X 

 Harrisianum and C. barbatum Crossi. Thus it is C. x 

 Harrisianum crossed back with one of its parent species. 

 It is said to resemble the first-named, but with a more 

 shiny surface, and a more rosy hue over the petals and dor- 

 sal sepal. — Gardeners' Chronicle, January i6th, p. 'j'^. 



Phal^nopsis Schilleriana, Rchb. f., var. purpurea, 

 O'Brien. — A bright rosy purple variety, with flowers darker 

 than usual. It appeared with Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., 

 of Clapton. — Gardeners' Chronicle, January 23d, p. 105. 



Epidendrum Godseffianum, Rolfe. — A species belonging 

 to the Encyclium section, imported with Cattleya labiata 

 from northern Brazil by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., of St. 

 Albans. The sepals and petals are light green, somewhat 

 nerved with light brown, and the lip white, the front lobe 

 being lined with bright rose-purple, and the side lobes 

 similarly marked at their base. The apex of the column 

 is orange-yellow. — Gardeners' Chronicle, January 30th, 

 p. 136. 



Cypripedium X gigas, O'Brien. — A hybrid raised in the 

 collection of C. Ingram, Esq., of Godalming, by Mr. Bond, 

 from C. Lawrenceanum crossed with the pollen of C. Har- 

 risianum nigrum. It is intermediate in character, though 

 somewhat approaching the seed parent in its flat, circular 

 upper sepal, which is very dark chocolate at the base, lined 

 with the same on an emerald-green ground above, and 



with a broad pure white margin. The petals and lip ap- 

 proach those of the pollen parent in character, but the stam- 

 inode is more reniform in shape. — Gardeners' Chronicle, 

 January 30lh, p. 136. 



Cypripedium x Swinburnei, O'Brien. — A hybrid raised by 

 Messrs. Heath & Son, of Cheltenham, between C. insigne 

 Maulei and C. Argus Moensii. The dorsal sepal is green 

 at the base, with lines of distinct brownish purple spots 

 which decrease in size toward the broad white apical mar- 

 gin. The petals are greenish white, tinged with white on 

 the outer halves, and with a number of dark purplish 

 blotches, as in C. Argus. The lip is green, tinged and net- 

 ted with reddish brown, and the staminode yellow with 

 a green veining in the centre. — Gardeners' Chronicle, Janu- 

 ar^y 30th, p. 136. ^ ^_ ^^^^_ 



Foreign Correspondence. 

 London Letter. 



Fruit from South Africa. — A further consignment of 

 fruit from South Africa arrived at Southampton on the 6th 

 instant, and was disposed of by auction sale at Co vent Gar- 

 den Market. The condition of the fruit was so good that 

 really fancy prices, even for London, were realized. For 

 instance, boxes containing from thirty to thirty-five apples 

 fetched seven shillings and sixpence (nearly two dollars) 

 each, while pears in some instances sold even better, one 

 case containing forty-two fruits realizing thirty-four shil- 

 lings. Melons brought about three shillings and sixpence 

 per box, and grapes fifteen shillings per box of twenty 

 pounds. These prices, especially those of apples and 

 pears, are probably much higher than the present condition 

 of the fruit market would warrant, bar favor. At the same 

 time, there can be no doubt that good fruit of this kind will 

 find a ready market in England any time between February 

 and June. That this is the case is shown by the rapid de- 

 velopment of the trade in Tasmanian fruit, which, according 

 to the following extract from a daily paper, will shortly ar- 

 rive in England in large quantities : "The P. & O. Steam- 

 ship Company have arranged that their steamers shall 

 make twelve visits to Hobart, Tasmania, for the purpose 

 of bringing to England a consignment of 240,000 bushels 

 of apples. The first lot has been dispatched, and will ar- 

 rive in London toward the end of the present month. The 

 fruit is packed in cool chambers during the voyage." At 

 this rate there is some hope that we shall soon be able to 

 purchase such delicious tropical fruits even as the durian 

 and the mangosteen in Covent Garden Market as fresh and 

 as palatable as they are when newly gathered from the tree. 



Plants for House Decoration. — This was the subject of 

 a short paper by Mr. John Wills, which was read at the 

 last meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society. Mr. Wills 

 has for many years held a first position among the horti- 

 cultural "decorators" of England. He stated that the 

 grand displays now produced at balls, festivals, etc., by 

 means of plants and flowers were scarcely known twenty 

 years ago. About that time Sir E. Scott gave carle blanche 

 to Mr. Wills, whose work occupied three days. The Mar- 

 quis of Bristol soon afterward had an elaborate arrange- 

 ment in which no less than six tons of Ivy alone were used. 

 Lady Sutton spent •j/"i, 000 in one month in decorative work 

 with plants, and on one occasion a Belgravian magnate 

 spent ;^i,400 on a single effort ! All good for trade, no 

 doubt, and that is the best that can be said of displays of 

 this kind. Some of the statistics given by Mr. Wills are 

 interesting. He found on inquiry that there are at least 300 

 nurserymen and market-gardeners in England who grow 

 for Covent Garden alone ; also that 20,000 van-loads of 

 decorative plants were sent to Covent Garden last year. 

 The plants which Mr. Wills has found most serviceable for 

 the decorator are Livistona Sinensis (Latania Borbonica), 

 L. australis. Phoenix rupicola, Rhapis, Kentias, and Cocos 

 Weddelliana among Palms. He also recommended As- 



