130 THE ORCHID REVIEW. (May, 1922. 
CATTLEYA CITRINA.—But few Cattleyas are as difficult to cultivate 
successfully for any length of time as C. citrina, hence congratulations are 
due to Mr. E. R. Ashton, of Broadlands, Tunbridge Wells, who has just 
flowered once again a plant of this charming Mexican species which has 
been in his collection since 1898. Among the first to mention this plant 
was the Jesuit Hermandez, who wrote on Mexican plants in the seventeenth 
century. Ore cannot now say whether he anticipated any difficulties 
regarding its cultivation, but we do know that he applied to it the name 
Corticoatzontecoxochitl, which if adopted would alone cause amateurs to 
keep the plant at a safe distance. It was first introduced into England by 
the Horticultural Society of London about the year 1823. This Society 
possessed but a single plant, which appears to have lived only a short time. 
Some fifteen years later it was introduced from Oaxaca to the Duke of 
Bedford's collection at Woburn. This species was a great favourite with 
the late Mr. J. Gurney Fowler, who, on more than one occasion, exhibited 
fine plants at the Royal Horticultural Society. 
DipoDIUM PUNCTATUM.—Dr. R. S. Rogers, of Adelaide, South Australia, 
sends a large coloured photograph showing three fine spikes of Dipodium 
punctatum, an Australian. species known as the Wild Hyacinth Orchid. 
The spikes produce about twenty flowers, which open at Christmas time. 
Regarding the pollination of this species, Dr. Rogers remarks (Trans. Roy. 
Soc., S. Australia, xxxvit., 48):—“A wedge-shaped space containing the 
stigma is enclosed between the bevelled portion of the column and the 
labellum. Facilities are afforded a visiting insect to enter this space—a 
good landing place, an easy footing until it is reached. The presence of 
the insect is, however, strictly limited to this part of the flower, where its 
operations will be useful. It cannot proceed further down the column, 
because of the close contact of the latter with the labellum and the presence 
of the hairy pad. It is prevented from straying to the sides by the lateral 
lobes of the labellum. On entering it will not remove the pollinarium, 
because it does not press against the sticky surface of the disc. It is only 
on retiring (and this process is made a trifle difficult owing to the direction 
of the hairs) that it will come in contact with the adhesive part of the disc, 
which it will then carry away in a position vertical to its own body. But 
when the pollinia perform the ‘act of depression,’ the pollinarium becomes 
‘horizontal or almost so. When the next flower is visited the pollen masses 
are deposited in their respected cups in the stigmatic cavity, and the visitor 
departs bearing with it the disc and the stipites. I do not know what the 
actual fertilizing agent is in the case of Dipodium, but judging by the size 
of the landing place and the strength of the labellum, it is probably an 
insect of fair size.”’ 
