were filled with coarse-growing weedy-looking plants, mostly having dull-coloured 
flowers, but many of these yielded a grateful and exquisite perfume. Most of 
these plants, however, have disappeared, and we have now many species in 
cultivation which do not stand second to any plants belonging to the order. 
Amongst these we may specially mention such kinds as J. arachnoglossum, E. 
atro-purpureum, E. cnemidophorum, E. Frederici Guilielmi, E. myrianthum, E. 
nemorale, EH. prismatocarpum, E. vitellinum majus, E. Wallisii, and many others, 
all beautiful and showy-flowered species, and all deserving world-wide cultivation and 
care. In the year 1864 Messrs. Hugh Low and Co., of Clapton, introduced the 
very fine plant which we now have under consideration from the neighbourhood of 
Bahia, and from this early importation we had numerous varieties flower in the 
following years. Mr. Low's collector found the plant abundant, growing in exposed 
places on the river banks, on the lower branches of shrubbery bushes, and _ its 
roots were growing down into the sand beneath. 
Epidendrum dichromum amabile is a very beautiful and showy evergreen species, 
very variable in colour, and having oblong-ovate pseudo-bulbs, bearing two or three 
strap-shaped leaves, scape paniculate, three or more feet high, and bearing many 
flowers, which are individually nearly two inches across ; sepals linear-lanceolate, petals 
broader, obovate, and deeper-coloured than the sepals, but these vary much in colour, 
some being of the beautiful rose-colour as in the example here figured, while in 
others they are nearly pure white; lip three-lobed, lateral lobes curved over the 
column, oblong, reflexed at the tips, where they are purple, middle lobe obcordate, 
deep crimson or crimson-purple with a white marginal border. 
The specimen from which our figure was taken flowered in the very choice 
collection of M. Finet, of Argenteuil, near Paris, in the autumn of last year, 
continuing in full beauty a very long time. 
