ODONTOGLOSSUM ROSSII ALBENS. 
[PLate 434.] 
Native of Mexico. 
Kpiphytail. Psewdobulbs somewhat oblong-ovate, slightly compressed at the edges, 
smooth when young, becoming slightly wrinkled with age. Leaves produced singly, 
oblong-lanceolate, carinate beneath, and light green in colour. Scape some four 0 
five inches long, bearing a thin boat-shaped bract at the joints. Flowers mostly 
in pairs, some three inches across; sepals lanceolate-acuminate, white, transversely 
banded with soft green; petals oblong, much broader than the sepals, but like them 
white, with -a few transverse blotches of soft green towards the base ; lip cordate, 
white, undulate on the margin, and having a yellow crest. Column wingless. 
OponTocLossum RossiI ALBENS, supra. 
The plant here figured is a variety of Odontoglossum Rossii majus, which has 
been imported so largely during the past few years, and become such a favourite 
through its free-flowering habit and the length of time the blooms remain in full 
beauty. From these have appeared some fine variations from the typical plant, and 
the one now before us is the second plant only which has come under our notice, 
so that we look upon it as a somewhat unusual form of the plant. It is upwards 
of fifty years ago that the typical plant was first introduced from Mexico by Mr. 
Barker, of Birmingham, who, by the way, seems to have been a successful importer 
of the genus in the early days. No less than five species can be credited to him, 
viz., O. cordatum, O. citrosmum, O. Insleayi, O. maculatum, and the present one, 
O. Rossii, the last one being named after his collector, who found this species 
growing in the greatest abundance all over the country about the Oaxaca district; 
this form, however, we cannot think was the majus variety found by Roezl in the 
Orizaba district later on, and out of which so many fine forms have sprung. 
Doubtless Mr. Barker suffered from the same difficulty which bothered the majority 
of Orchid growers in the early days—the excessive heat which was then deemed of 
the greatest importance, whilst O. Rossii is one of the coolest Orchids we 
have; in fact, we saw some plants flowering beautifully in May last, which had been 
wintered in a house that frequently was frozen during the very severe winter we 
experienced. We do not advocate such severe tests of endurance for these plants, 
because we entirely disapprove of subjecting them to so low a temperature, and 
only quote the fact of their withstanding it with impunity. For the pleasure of 
figuring this variety we are indebted to the kindness of R. Young, Esq., Fringilla, 
