ONCIDIUM STELLIGERUM ERNESTI. 
[PLate 260. | 
Native of Mexico. 
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs ovate, compressed, ribbed, two to three inches high, 
diphyllous, with accessory leaves from the base. Leaves ligulate-oblong acute, 
keeled behind, of a bright green. Scape green, produced from the base of the 
pseudobulb in the axil of an accessory leaf, bearing a many-flowered panicle, each 
flower supported by a green pedicel with a small brown ovate bract at its ‘ 
Flowers yellow spotted with brown, two and a half inches across, fragrant ; sepals 
lanceolate acuminate, about an inch long, pale yellow heavily spotted except on the 
upper third with deep chestnut brown ; petals of the same size, form and colour, 
the spots or blotches smaller and more numerous; lip sessile, three-lobed, the lateral 
lobes large, broadly rounded, venosely striate, of a brighter chrome yellow with a 
few crimson lines on the disk; the front lobe three-fourths of an inch broad, 
cordate, cuspidate, separated by a constriction just beyond the crest, light reddish 
brown with the margin slightly repand and gently undulated; disk bearing a crest 
of four raised lamelle of a brownish crimson colour, free as well as prominent at 
the extremities, the two centre ones longer with a projecting ovate acute point. 
Column orange-yellow at the base, with prominent margins, the upper part bearing 
a pair of broad rounded pale yellow wings, the stigmatic hollow margined with a 
line of pale brown. 
OncIDIUM sTELLIGERUM Ernest1, Williams MS. 
-. ' This beautiful Oncidiwm stelligerwm Ernesti is a great advance on the species, 
which has been an inmate of our Orchid houses for some years, and appears to 
be closely allied to Lindley’s O. hastatum; it is, however, distinct among this 
large class of Orchids. Many of the Oncidiums are very beautiful, especially some 
of the latest additions to the genus, a considerable number of which will thrive 
with the Odontoglots in a cool house, a fact which makes them more sought after, 
as it gives to everyone an opportunity to cultivate them. 
The subject of our illustration is a most distinct and splendid variety of the 
stelligerum type, and will thrive in the cool Orchid house, or at the coolest end 
of the Cattleya house. We owe our figure, which, through our limited space, 
represents only a portion of the branched spike, to the kindness of R. J. 
Measures, Esq., Cambridge Lodge, Flodden Road, Camberwell, in whose fine collee- 
tion it bloomed during the present year, and was exhibited before the Royal 
Horticultural Society at South Kensington, on July 27th, 1886, where it was 
awarded a First Class Certificate. It is named in honour of Mr. Measures’ son, 
Ernest, who takes a great interest in this noble class of plants. 
