DENDROBIUM NOBILE NOBILIUS. 
[PLaTe 214.] 
Native of India. 
Epiphytal. Stems terete, tapered below, leafy throughout, jointed, the internodes. 
covered by a pallid longitudinally-vemed membrane, representing the sheathing bases 
of the fallen leaves. Leaves fleshy, oblongobtuse, obliquely emarginate. Peduncles 
lateral, about two-flowered. Flowers three to four inches across, and much deeper 
and more richly coloured than in the type form, but as in that, of fleshy texture, 
with the parts spreading; sepals oblong acute, of a rich purple-amaranth, rather 
paler towards the base; petals broader, oblong-ovate, shortly cuspidate, of the same 
rich colour as the sepals; lip large, more than an inch broad, roundish-cordate, 
cucullate, pure white at the base, the apical portion recurved, deep amaranth-purple, 
of a carker and richer hue than in any other known variety, the large hollow downy 
space towards the base being of the most intense blackish purple, which presents a 
very strong contrast with the surrounding white surface. 
DENDROBIUM NOBILE NoBILIUS, Reichenbach fil., in Gardeners’ Chronicle, xvii. 
866; Williams, Orchid-Grower’s Manual, 6 ed., 295. 
There is no doubt that Dendrobium nobile is one of the most useful and 
beautiful, as well as one of the oldest of our cultivated Orchids. It is known to 
nearly all growers of stove plants, as it is frequently included in collections where 
no other Orchids are cultivated, on account of the profusion of blossoms it brings 
forth when judiciously managed—a fact which is abundantly sufficient to account for 
its popularity. We have often seen individual plants producing hundreds of lovely 
blossoms during the winter and spring months. 
The form we now bring under the notice of our readers, is, as will be seen 
from the accompanying figure of it, a great improvement on all other forms in the 
nobile section. The colour is most brilliant, and the size of the flowers most 
ample. The drawing from which our plate was prepared was taken from a plant 
in the grand collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., of Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
Henceforward every cultivator will be longing to possess this charming variety, which 
has only become known within the past few years, and is still very rare. 
Dendrobium nobile nobilius is like the typical form, an evergreen epiphyte, 
with erect furrowed stems, clothed with small oblong leaves, dark green on both | 
sides, and producing on either side of its ripened stems clusters of flowers, two or 
three together. The blossoms are about four inches in diameter, and have broad 
sepals and petals, white, richly suffused with rosy purple, which is deepened towards 
the tips; the lip is white on the basal half, and of a dark rosy purple on the anterior 
