SACCOLABIUM GIGANTEUM. 
[PLATE 56. | 
Native of Burmah. 
Kpiphytal. Stem short, producing from the basal portion thick fleshy roots. 
Leaves subsecund, leathery, broadly lorate with the apex oblique and bilobed, about 
a foot long and two inches broad, channelled, the surface streaked. Racemes 
densely flowered, drooping, about equallin me) the leaves in length, axillary. lowers 
very numerous, handsomely spotted, remarkably fragrant, with broad, short, 
membraneous bracts at their base ; peonat oblong or cuneate- ovate, obtuse, white, 
with a few amethyst dots; petals narrower, obovate, white, more freely spotted with 
amethyst; lip wedge-shaped, dilated, and trifid at the apex, the central portion 
short, ligulate, and slightly retuse, and the lateral parts semi-rhomboidal, all being 
of a beautiful mauve-violet or magenta colour, veined .with darker lines; from the 
short conical spur two elevated hairy vlines pass outwards, diverging in the middle, 
and reuniting at the contracted portion of the lip. Column greenish, short, reclinate, 
the anther with a stout beak. 
SaccoLaBlum GicanTEUM, Iindley, in Wallich’s Catalogue, 7306; Id., Genera 
and Species of Orchidaceous ‘Plants, 221; Bateman, in Botanical Maguzine, t. 5635 ; 
Jennings, Orchids, t. 8; Williams, Orchid Grower’s Manual, 5 ed., 287. 
VANDA DENSIFLORA, Lindley, in Pazxton’s Flower Garden, under t. 42; Id., 
Folia Orchidacea, art. Vanda, No. 22; Van Houtte, Flore des Serres, tt. 1765- 66; 
Reichenbach fil., in Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematice, vi., 869. 
There can be no doubt as to the position that the Saccolabiums occupy in the 
Orchid family—they certainly rank among the very finest of the whole race. They 
are not very numerous, but among the known species there are some which are of 
great beauty. They used to be exhibited in splendid style some quarter of a 
century ago by the late S. Rucker, Esq., of Wandsworth, Mrs. Lawrence, of Ealing 
Park, Dr. Butler, of Woolwich, and also from other fine collections then in 
existence, at which time there was seldom an exhibition group staged without a fine 
specimen of Saccolabiwm guttatum, or some other equally fine species. Now, 
however, we rarely see them shown. Orchid growers appear to have forgotten this 
noble class of plants, and many beginners think that they are difficult to cultivate, 
but we ourselves have never found them to be so, and, together with other ’ 
nurserymen, we are growing and selling specimens every year. Where can the 
greater part of these go to? Why they are purchased by foreigners, who seem 
to have a greater taste than we have in this country for these most wonderful of 
all Orchids, which even when not in bloom are objects of attraction from their 
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