CALANTHE COLORANS. 
[PLATE 218.] 
Native of India. 
Terrestrial. Rootstock stout, subterraneous, fleshy, marked with the scars of the 
older decayed leaves. Leaves several, springing from the crown of the rhizome, 
evergreen, spreading, broadly lanceolate acuminate, narrowing into a stalk-like base, 
strongly nervose, of a dark green colour. Scape erect, velvety, with appressed 
bracts below the dense pyramidal raceme, the upper bracts spreading, ovate acuml- 
nate concave; rachis green. Flowers very numerous, white, the lip at length 
ochraceous; sepals obovate-oblong, mucronate, spreading, about half an inch long; 
petals similar in form and colour, but rather smaller; lip projected. forwards, three- 
fourths of an inch broad, three-lobed, the lateral lobes linear-oblong, broadest at the 
bluntly rounded apex, the middle lobe triangular, deeply parted into two widely 
divergent unequally obovate segments, by reason of which the lip appears to be 
four-cleft ; discal base of lip bearing three small yellow crests, of which the two 
hinder ones are laterally compressed, and the front one is acute; spur filiform, 
shorter than the ovary, bidentate at the apex. 
_CALANTHE coLorans, Reichenbach fil., in Gardeners’ Chronicle, N.8.; xxiv., 360; 
Williams, Orchid-Grower’s Manual, 6 ed., 633 
We are glad to be able to illustrate a new species of Calanthe, one of the 
veratrifolia section, which was introduced by ourselves, and has been named by Pro- 
fessor Reichenbach. There are but few species of this most useful genus that flower 
during the spring and summer months. C. veratrifolia is a very old plant; in 
fact we may say it is one of the oldest and most accommodating of Orchids in 
cultivation; it is a plant that can be grown into large specimens to adorn the 
exhibition table, as it has been for many years, and can be shown at any time 
during a period of two months. In our houses it may be kept flowering for three 
months, and its pure white flowers may often be seen in stoves where no other 
Orchids are grown. ‘The individual blossoms used singly are very useful for bouquet 
and button-hole purposes, and may be had fresh for a lengthened period, as the 
spike continues elongating until the last flower has opened. It is, moreover, of very 
strong growth, and each crown bears several spikes of flowers. : 
The species we now bring under the notice of Orchid growers is one that will 
be equally useful during the months of July, August, and September, for during 
these months Orchid flowers are scarce, and on that account it will be found 
especially valuable. We bloomed this plant for the first time in Europe last year, 
and our drawing was taken from the specimen then flowered. 
