CYPRIPEDIUM FITCHIANUM. 
[PLatE 350.] 
Garden Hybrid. 
A terrestrial plant, with distichous, oblong acute leaves, which are some six inches 
in length, and one and a half inches in breadth, ground colour greyish green, 
conspicuously marbled and blotched with deep olive-green. Scape erect, eight or nine 
inches high, densely clothed with short woolly hairs of a purple hue, one-flowered. 
Dorsal sepal ovate, acute, greenish white, boldly streaked with lines of deep green; lateral 
sepals similar in colour to the dorsal, but much smaller, and, like it, downy on the 
outside; petals ligulate, obtuse, spreading, upwards of two inches long, and half an 
inch broad, nearly uniform in breadth throughout, undulated on both edges, basal 
portion bright green, strongly veined with deeper green, passing upwards into dull 
purplish red, and ornamented on both margins, with a few large black hairy wart-like 
spots ; ip oblong, obtuse, shortly unguiculate, large, and bold, pale yellowish green, 
veined with deep green, and suffused with dull purple, the inner side covered with 
a profusion of crimson dots, which show through to the exterior. Staminode some- 
what reniform, with a small umbo, centre greenish yellow, reticulated with deep 
green. 
CYPRIPEDIUM FircHIaANum, supra, Williams’ New Plant Catalogue, 1888, p. 20. 
At the present time the genus Cypripedium is exceedingly popular, and new 
forms are continually appearing through importations from abroad, as well as from the 
work of the hybridiser at home; indeed, the crossing and re-crossing of the different 
Species and varieties appears to be a favourite pursuit with amateur growers, as well 
as those connected with the trade in orchidaceous plants, and from the result of 
whose work many excellent, new, and beautiful varieties have emanated, whilst from 
the experience gained in previous experiments, many other and superior forms may 
be confidently anticipated. Cypripediums are amongst the easiest of plants in the 
whole order to fertilise, and for this reason they have been taken in hand by the 
many; they also come freely from seed, and in most instances are robust in con- 
stitution, and produce flowers in a young state, so that it is little wonder that 
they are very popular, especially as many of them produce showy flowers, although in a 
different degree of excellence, which continue long in full perfection. Many beautiful 
Species and varieties of this genus have already appeared in the Orchid Album, 
but there are many more which we hope to introduce in the same manner to the 
notice of our readers, 
The accompanying figure is that of a plant which we had the pleasure to 
introduce to commerce in the spring of the present year, and which we have named 
