66 ORCHIDS. 
ODONTOGLOSSUM ALEXANDR&:. 
THIS variety — represented in Plate No. XVIII.—of cluster- 
ing floral richness, is understood to have been first noticed growing 
upon the branches of trees in New Granada. It received its name 
in honor of the Danish Princess Alexandra, now the everywhere 
beloved Princess of Wales. 
This variety grows many thousand feet above the sea level, 
and blooms freely from late autumn into winter. Mr. Rand says 
this is “a very beautiful species, sporting in many varieties. The 
type seems to be pure white, with bright golden spots on the lip, 
but the markings vary to red, rose, purplish brown, and many 
shadings, — varying also greatly in the size of the spots and mark- 
ings. The flower-spike is about twelve inches high, gracefully 
arching, and bearing from six to twelve large flowers, often three 
inches or more in diameter; but in fine varieties the spike is often 
much longer, and bears many more blossoms. It blooms freely, 
but requires to be kept very cool.” 
We have elsewhere given an extract describing some of the 
difficulties — and dangers, even — of explorations in tropical re- 
gions for orchids. The notes following, from a late London journal, 
give further insight into this business. A traveller says :— 
“One would find Bogota full of orchid-hunters, and nearly 
every tap-room in the place crowded with them, and with Indians 
bringing down Odontoglossums for sale. And here it might be ob- 
served that the honesty and civility of the people, who are nearly 
all Indians, with a little Spanish blood in them, is remarkable. To 
those accustomed to the morality of highly civilized lands, the sim- 
