LELIA AUTUMNALIS ATRORUBENS. 
[Puate 49. ] 
Native of Mexico. 
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs oblong-ovate, terete, furrowed, bearing two or three leaves 
at the attenuated apex, and sheathed at the base with large brown imbricated scales. 
Leaves oblong-linear, spreading, smooth, leathery in texture. Scape terete, issuing 
from between the leaves, and much longer than them, bearing five or six flowers at 
the apex, jointed, with sheathing scales at the joints. Mlowers large and_richly- 
coloured, much more so than in the typical form, sweet-scented; sepals lanceolate 
acuminate, spreading, of a brilliant purple-crimson, paler towards the base; petals 
ovate acuminate, subundulate, of the same colour as the sepals; lip three-lobed, the 
lateral lobes erect, truncately rounded, white, the middle lobe obovate-oblong, of an 
intensely brilliant purple-crimson colour, bilamellate on the disk, the apex recurved. 
Column semicylindrical, decurved, rosy purple. 
LALIA AUTUMNALIS ATRORUBENS, Backhouse, in Gardeners’ Chronicle, w.s., 
Zi, Zaz, 
Mr. Bateman has well observed that “the genus Lelia may be regarded as one 
of the most ornamental of its tribe, since pleasing colours, graceful habit, long 
duration, and delicious perfume—in short, all the essentials of floral beauty seem to 
be combined in its various species.” There is, indeed, no doubt that in this genus 
some of the most showy of our cultivated Orchids are to be found. There are, 
moreover, species presenting many different hues, varying from yellow to rich purple, 
and while some of them produce small flowers, in others they are gigantic in size. 
The subject of our plate, as will be seen from the figure, is a magnificent Orchid, our 
drawing of which was taken from a well-managed specimen grown by Mr. Stevens, 
Gardener to W. Thompson, Esq., The Grange, Walton, Stone, Staffordshire. This 
particular variety was imported in 1878 by Messrs. James Backhouse & Son, of 
York, who grow it to great perfection. ' 
There are many known varieties of Lelia autumnalis, but the one before us is 
by far the most beautiful of them all, being superior both as regards the size and 
the colour of the flowers. The pseudobulbs of this form, too, are much stouter and 
stronger than those of the type form. This variety, as also does the original Lelia 
autumnalis, blooms during the autumn and winter months, when flowers are in 
great request. 
Lelia autumnalis atrorubens is a compact-growing evergreen plant, the pseudo- 
bulbs of which, with the foliage, attain to about ‘ten inches in height. The flower- 
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