CATTLEYA ELDORADO VIRGINALIS. 
[Pirate 388.] 
Native of the Rio Negro, Brazil. 
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs_ clustered, erect, clavate, bearing a single, oblong- 
ligulate leaf. Scape terminal, bearing several very fragrant flowers. Sepals and 
petals somewhat narrow, of the purest white; lip at the base rolled over the 
column, becoming tubular, the front lobe spreading, of the same pure white as the 
sepals and petals, the throat stained with rich orange-yellow. 
CaTTLEYA ELDORADO VIRGINALIS, supra. 
CATTLEYA VIRGINALIS LINDEN ET ANDRE, Jilustration Horticole, 3 s., t. 257. 
CaTTLEYA Watuisi1, Hort. 
The genus Cattleya comprises many beautiful species and varieties which 
may claim to be the finest and most showy Orchids which we have in cultivation 
at the present day, and amongst them Cattleya ldorado occupies a prominent 
position ; it varies considerably in the depth of colour which is developed by the 
flowers of different varieties, but all and any of them are well deserving of the 
attention of Orchid growers, on account of the compact habit of this species and 
its free-flowering qualities; an additional recommendation is that its flowers are 
produced at a time when few Orchids are in bloom, and that they are deliciously 
fragrant. The form we here represent is a chaste and charming variety, differing 
entirely from the typical plant; in fact these albino forms in the Cattleyas are all 
exquisitely beautiful, and although this is not a new variety, it is ever a welcome 
and elegant addition to a collection of these plants. Another form, C. 
splendens, we have already figured in Vol. vii., t. 310, which form is a very highly 
coloured variety, and contrasts well with the albino form called virginalis, which we 
now lay before our readers; both these forms are still rare, but they crop up in 
a promiscuous manner amongst the importations which arrive in this country. The 
new and rare varieties which from time to time bloom out of every importation, 
causes one to wish to be in their native country during the blooming season, 
and secure the many choice and select forms which are to be found. 
Cattleya Eldorado virginalis is a splendid evergreen variety, which resembles 
the species so closely in its growth that it cannot be distinguished until its flowers 
appear. The bulbs are about eight inches high, and bear a very thick and fleshy | 
leaf; the flower is formed just before the growth is completed, and when the bulb > 
is strong it opens from the sheath with four or five blossoms, each of which — = : : 
measures some six inches across. The sepals and petals are pure white; the lip and 2 
