September 16, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



437 



terior blotch of golden-yellow, and with a well-defined 

 crisp edging of white. Altogether, the flowers recall the 

 features of the rare C.Exoniensis, one of the earliest hybrid 

 Orchids of Dominy's. It is looked upon as one of Mr. 

 Seden's chief successes in hybridizing. Another hybrid 

 Cattleya was named C. Behrensiana, from Messrs. Sander, 

 of St. Albans. It is a cross between L. elegans and C. 



Fig. 69. — Cereus (Pilocereus) Sargentianus. — See page 436. 



Loddigesi. The growth is similar to that of L. elegans, 

 but the leaves are broader and shorter. The flower is as 

 large as those of the latter ; sepals very pale lilac ; lip 

 broad, amethyst-crimson on the lower lobe, white on the 

 incurved upper lobes. Though not such a strikingly dis- 

 tinct hybrid as that from Messrs. Veitch, it was much ad- 

 mired. A third hybrid Orchid was Masdevallia Measuresi- 

 una, a pretty and interesting little plant obtained by cross- 

 ing M. Tovarensis with M. amabilis. The flowers are about 



the size of those of the latter, and with attenuated sepals 

 which are white striped and clouded with violet-purple, 

 and the influence of M. 7ovare?isis is seen by the several 

 flowers it carries on each spike. Cy pripedium apiculahim, 

 a cross between C. Boxalli and C. barbatum, was from Mr. 

 Palmer, of Reading. It has the mottled foliage of C. bar- 

 baium and the flower of C. Boxalli, rendered darker by the 

 crossing, and with spots on the lateral sepals, 

 but the dorsal sepal is much reflexed, which de- 

 tracts from the symmetry of the flower, and is con- 

 sidered a fault by orchidists. 



A supposed hybrid named C. leucochilum, be- 

 tween C. Godefrqycc and C. barbalulum, was 

 shown, but the evidence of the cross was not 

 clear, and so may be passed over. Besides the 

 hybrids there were shown Dendrobium Phalcenop- 

 sis, var. Statterianum, a really splendid variety, 

 much superior to the type, inasmuch as the spike 

 is longer, the flower larger and more deeply and 

 richly colored. The broad sepals are a purple- 

 crimson, and the labellum many shades deeper. 

 Sobralia leucoxantha^ with the growth of S. macran- 

 tha, has flowers five inches across, sepals snow- 

 white, lip broad, frilled at the margins, and of a 

 rich golden-yellow. It is one of the loveliest of 

 all the species and a rival to the rare 6". xantholeuca. 

 It came from Messrs. Seeger & Tropp. Cattleya 

 amanda, also known as C. Roths childiana, is a 

 pretty Orchid at this season, supposed to be a 

 natural hybrid, and reminds one of C. maxima, 

 having sepals of a pale rose-pink, with a deeper 

 lip with purple veins. A very uncommon look- 

 ing Orchid, under the name oiZygopetalum grandi- 

 florum, came from Messrs. Shuttleworth & Co. It 

 has the habit of growth of one of the larger Maxil- 

 laria and one-flowered spikes. The flower is three 

 inches across, pointed, broad sepals, pale green, 

 striped with purplish brown, and a large labellum, 

 white, lined with purple. 



The Gladioli from Messrs. Kelway, numbering 

 hundreds of spikes, made the usual magnificent 

 display, though, owing to the cold wet season, 

 they were not as fine as in former years. Many 

 new seedlings were submitted to the committee, 

 but only a few were distinguished by awards of 

 merit, because it is so difficult to discern the dif- 

 ference between the new and the old kinds among 

 the Gandavensis section, now that the climax of 

 perfection has been reached as regards size of 

 spike, shape and size of individual flowers, and 

 brilliancy of coloring. A smaller collection of Le- 

 moine's hybrids, which Messrs. Kelway have at 

 length taken in hand, comprised some wonderfully 

 fine sorts, and it is in this section that we must 

 in future look for progressive improvement, for, 

 though they are at present inferior in spike and 

 bloom to the Gandavensis tribe, they combine 

 such striking contrasts of colors that they will 

 probably prove a far more valuable race of gar- 

 den-plants, since they are so much hardier and 

 may be left in the open ground here throughout 

 the year, which, to amateurs, is a great considera- 

 tion. There has been such a rapid improvement 

 made with this race that Lemoine's original seed- 

 lings are rarely shown now, though the features of 

 those first hybrids are plainly discernible in newer sorts that 

 have been again crossed with the finest of the Gandavensis 

 type. The first bright, clear yellow Gladiolus that I have 

 seen was among Kelway 's new seedlings, and others had 

 those combinations of yellow and crimsons, pinks and scar- 

 lets, that render them so distinct from the ordinary Gladioli. 

 The Dahlias, like the Gladioli, were in strong force, and 

 a great number of new, or so-called new, sorts were placed 

 before the committee, especially novelties in the Cactus- 



