{ Bal 
Caos 
ci 
Even artificial productions are not always free from suspicion; one cannot 
always be certain, for instance, that a gardener through negligence or absence 
of mind has not changed the labels of the plants under his care. 
O. xX excellens, introduced from New-Grenada about 1879, was considered 
at first as a yellow variety of O. Pescatorei; but soon after ReIcHENBACH expressed 
the hypothesis that it might be the result of a natural crossing of this species 
with O. tripudians. It appears that in June 1891, an identical plant flowered 
at Messrs. Veircu’s, Chelsea, and that it was produced by artificial hybridization 
between O. Pescatorei and O. triumphans. Mr. Witu1ams does not seem quite 
convinced as to the identity of the two hybrids, for in the 7 edition of his 
excellent Manual (1894), he only mentions, the crossing of O. Pescatorei with 
O. tripudians as the probable origin of O. x excellens. 
Mr. Roire (Orchid Review, Il, pp. 200-201) affirms that O. x excellens was 
produced by the crossing O. Pescatorei with O. triumphans, and annexes to it as 
varieties or even as mere synonyms, O. Brandtii Krarnzu., O. Dellense O’Brien, 
O. eugenes Vertcu, O. Harvengtense L. Linn. and O. stellimicans Reus. ¥. However 
Mr. James O’Brien, and more recently Mr. Wittiams, suppose that O. Dellense 
is a natural hybrid between O. Pescatorei and O. praenitens; and on the other 
hand Mr. L. Linven considers O. Harvengtense as the result of the crossing 
of O. Pescatoret with O. tripudians. 
We thus see to what divergence of interpretation these hybrids give rise 
to; therefore we judge more prudent to abstain from any affirmation, and until 
the contrary be clearly proved, we consider O. spectabile as a distinct hybrid. 
O. spectabile is most like O. x Dellense (Lindenia, VII, pl. 335) and O. x Harveng- 
tense (Lindenia, X, pl. 478); but by simply comparing the annexed plate with 
the varieties we have just quoted, it is easy to see that the three plants are 
far from being identical. 
eG. 
SU 
meg @ | 
