Spee eae ey 
Fai.) 
are many varieties of this Orchid. Mr. Pucci enumerates 69 in his work published 
in 1891, and this number has considerably increased of late years. 
Amongst these numerous varieties, several of which are more or less 
accidental, there are two more important and better known than the others: — 
Var. Maulei and var. Chantini (called by some writers C. insigne punctatum 
violaceum). The former was introduced by the firm of Maute & Son, Nurserymen 
at Liverpool, where it flowered for the first time in 1860. The latter had been 
- obtained in England by Monsieur Cuantin, a French nurseryman, who sold it 
to an amateur, Mr. Berrranp who afterwards gave it to the “ Etablissement de 
la Muette ” in Paris. The Director of this Establishment was the first to give 
the description of it in the Revue Horticole, in ine In 1882, Mr. James O’Brien 
described this variety under the name of C. 7. punctatum violaceum, name it 
cannot bear, having already been christened. 
From the year 1887 different importations mostly owing to the HorticuLTuRE 
INTERNATIONALE, have brought to light a new series of shapes known under the 
name of type montanum. One variety has already appeared in the Lindenia 
(IX, pl. 414) and a group of others the characters of which have been briefly 
explained in the Fournal des Orchidées of last February will be published shortly. 
The var. Luciani figured here, which as we see has been dedicated to the 
- Director of the Horticutture INTERNATIONALE, is characterised by the leaves 
being a little narrower than in the type; the peduncle is light green instead 
of purple; the flowers are shiny, entirely yellow, excepting the upper sepal 
which is of a light green, yellowish towards the base, with a broad white rim. 
We must notice that the flower does not bear the slightest trace of any spot 
whatever, not even the large shadowed light yellow, brown specks, which our 
colleague Mr. Ropicas, speaks of in the Illustration Horticole, and which really 
belong to the var. Lindeniae. 
C. insigne var. Luciani is considered by connoisseurs to be the most graceful 
of shapes produced hitherto. This beautiful Orchid unanimously obtained a 
First-class Diploma of Honour at a Meeting of the OrcuipEENneE held at the 
HorTIcuLTURE INTERNATIONALE last November. 
A. CoGniaux. 
Us 
BU 
