LAELIA GRANDIS TENEBROSA. 
[PLATE 487.] 
Native of the Sierra da Itaracea, Brazil. 
Short, triangular. 
_ LAELIA GRANDIS TENEBROSA, Gower, in Garden, Feb. 10th, 1891, p. 36, 
Reichenbachia, p. 69. Indenia, t. 290. L’Orchidophile, Dec., 1891. 
This is a superb plant, for the introduction of which we are indebted to Mr. Sander, 
-of St. Albans, and several other people, amongst them being Mr. Grimsditch, of Liverpool ; 
Messrs. Charlesworth and Shuttleworth, of Bradford; and Mr. Travassos, of Liverpool. 
Mr. Sander tells us that for a long time after it had been imported by him with a 
coloured drawing it was declared to be by many of our leading orchidologists the 
true old plant, called Laelia grandis by Lindley; but that species, which was 
imported in quantity by Messrs. Low and Co., of Clapton, in 1864, is a much 
inferior plant to that here given. In the third volume of this work, Plate 123, 
a widely different plant is figured, which was imported by the Messrs. Low, and is 
the same as the variety shown by Lindley in Paxton’s Flower Garden, in 1850, 
Vol. i, p. 60, f. 38. The plant we have now under consideration is both a larger 
grower and freer flowerer, and very much superior in colour; it was introduced in 
small quantities by various firms some five or six years ago. The numerous flowers 
received from various correspondents all prove it to be a most beautiful summer- 
flowering plant and a valuable acquisition to our collections. It appears to have 
been first imported by Mr. Travassos, of Liverpool, and flowered for the first time 
in the collection of H. Tate, Junr., Esq., of Allerton Beeches, Liverpool, in the 
spring of 1889. Since then it has been bloomed by many people, but of all that 
have been sent to us by various growers we have seen one only we could call a 
bad variety, the finest coming from the collection of G. Hardy, Esq., Timperley, 
Cheshire, and from Mr. J. Gordon, of Exmouth. The plant here figured was a good 
