AUGUST, 1922 | THE ORCHID REVIEW. 249 
CYPRIPEDIUM NIOBE. 
F all the many Cypripedium hybrids, and their number is indeed great, 
but few have been better appreciated than the cross between Spicer- 
ianum and the once rare Fairrieanum. C. Niobe was originally raised and 
named by Messrs. Veitch. ‘The first mentioned parent carried the pod, the 
seed was sown in 1884, and the earliest flower opened in 1859. It is an 
interesting fact that this hybrid forms the subject of the first illustration in. 
the first volume of the Orchid. Review. C. Niobe was also raised in the 
collection of Mr. H. Gaskell, of Liverpool, where it flowered in 1890. The 
CYPRIPEDIUM NIOBE. 
fine variety here figured was raised in the collection of the late Mr. Norman 
C. Cookson. Several distinct forms have appeared at different times, the 
most richly coloured probably being the Westonbirt variety. With such 
attractive features as this easily-grown hybrid possesses, 1t 1s no surprise to 
find that it has been very much used by the hybridists, and, generally 
speaking, with excellent results. Cypripediums are especially suitable for 
gardens in-or near large towns, where there is generally a heavy atmosphere 
during the autumn months. 
