This wonderful Orchid is a native of Borneo, whence it was originally sent to the 

 late Mr. Low, of the Clapton Nursery, by his son (Colonial Treasurer at* Labuan), in 

 whose honour the species was named by Dr. Lindley. It has also been imported by 

 Messrs. Veitch, in whose nursery at Chelsea I first had the pleasure of seeing the plant 

 in bloom. It was not however until the autumn of the year 1862, when the species 

 flowered in Mr. Rucker's collection (where the drawing was made), that any adequate 

 idea could be formed of its beauty. A full account was published in the ' Gardeners' 

 Chronicle ' at that time, which would apply equally to Mr. Rucker's plant as it mio-ht 

 have been seen in September, 1864, when it again burst into flower, and if possible'' in 

 greater beauty and profusion than before. 



r 



I gather from a memorandum received from Mr. Pilcher, Mr. Rucker's gardener, 

 that the Wandsworth plant is nine feet high, and that it produced six spikes, each 

 bearing from forty to fifty flowers, which lasted in perfection for a month. The spikes 

 attained to such an extraordinary length that they had to be supported on props, and 

 thus formed graceful festoons, under which a person might walk ! The plant requires 

 the heat of the East Indian house, and grows so freely that it seems almost to chafe at 

 the comparatively narrow scope which the low roofs of modern Orchid-houses afl^ord it 



Dr. Lindley, who had only seen the specimens originally sent fi 



B 



referred the plant to Vanda, but Eeichenbach, who more recently had the advantage 

 of exumming livnig flowers, is decidedly of opinion that it falls more properly under 

 the genus Eenanthera ; and as in this case I quite concur in the view of the German 

 Professor, I have not hesitated to substitute the name oi Menanthera for that 



/ 



of I 



Descr. Stems caulescent, an inch thick, climbin- to a m-eat hemhi, and b 



J-, vv. t^ j^lV.CtU Xi^lg 



numerous leathery strap-shaped obliquely-obluse leaves eighteen inches to tliree feet 

 long. Flower-spUes hanging down, issuing from the upper portions of the stems, 

 slightly hany, attaming the length of from six to twelve feet, and bearing from thirty 

 to fifty flowers. I^Iowers of two kinds on the same spike, the lowest two, or rarely 



being always of a tawny-yellow 



th crimson dots, while th 



remainder are of a pale green, almost hidden on the inner side by larg'e irregular 



blotches of reddisli-brown. On 



tcuuiMi-uiown. un ttie ordinary flowers the sepals and petals are waved 

 lanceolate and acute, but on thp Inw.v r^o,^. .t..„ i._... . ii . 



on the lower pair they are shorter and blunter and mor 



!!t^i'\ ^'^'. ^7 ^^'''' ^'^'^^ '^'^ ^'"-^^ ^^ ^^'^ «n^^l«' ^ery fleshy, ovate, beaked with 



front and five parallel ridges along the disk of the interior. Column 



blunt 



ditto^^°4 h^'^"^''^ 7^ °^ P^^^* i^ flo^ver. 2. Le.f,-nat size. 3. Portion of flower-spikes, 

 0. 4. feide view of hp and column. 5. Front view of ditto. 6. Pollen-masses -.-magnified. 



