Fepruary, 1914.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 47 
‘is fertile the little green globules will be seen in a few weeks from the time 
of sowing. A portion of the seed may be sown directly it is ripe and the 
remainder left until the days are longer. It is essential that when once 
sown the seeds should never be allowed to get dry, and a light sprayer. 
should be employed to keep them moist. It will be necessary to open the 
frame at intervals for ventilation, and at the same time to wipe off any 
accumulated moisture. If this is done every morning drip will be 
prevented. The treatment of the young seedlings may be left over until 
next month. 
Sines 
Y 
A VERY pretty white and brown Oncidium, with trailing inflorescence, 
said to have been received in a batch of mixed Orchids, has been sent 
to Kew for determination by Messrs. Charlesworth & Co., Haywards 
ONCIDIUM ENGELII. 
Heath. It proves to be identical with a specimen preserved in Lindley’s 
Herbarium, which was collected in Venezuela, in 1854-56, by Fendler 
(n. 1378). It was labelled Oncidium zebrinum by Lindley, and is 
the type of his enumeration of Fendler’s Venezuelan plants (Mem. Amer. 
Acad., vill. p. 220), although it is quite distinct from O. zebrinum, Rchb. f., 
whose prettily undulate white flowers, regularly barred with purple, are well 
shown at t. 6138 of the Botanical Magazine. The present plant is apparently 
alluded to by Reichenbach under O. zebrinum (Gard. Chron., 1872, p. 
-1356), when he says ‘‘ Fendler’s variety differs in having the whole disc of 
the sepals violet, and a single such blotch at the base of the petals.” It 
can hardly be O. zebrinum var. brunneum (Rchb. f. in Gard. Chron., 1876, 
ii. p. 580), which is said to have brown bars on the sepals and petals in lieu 
of purple. Messrs. Charlesworth’s flowers agree with Fendler’s dried 
specimen in having the sepals uniformly brown, except for a narrow 
white margin and apex, while the petals are white with a small basal cluster 
of brown spots. The crest and basal part of the lip are light yellow, while 
the long attenuate, strongly recurved front lobe is suffused with light 
purple. ° Reichenbach’s note would be made from the dried specimen, but 
the colour is not violet, either living or dried. The flowers are larger and 
more compactly arranged than in O. zebrinum, and quite different in detail. 
It, however, agrees fairly well with O. Engelii, Rchb. f., described in 1877 
from a dried specimen collected at Merida by Engel (Linnaa, xli. p. 22). 
This is said to have brown flowers with pale, whitish petals and lip. O. 
Engelii is not included in the list of Venezuelan Orchids given by Ernst in 
his interesting work, The Land of Bolivar (ii. pp. 192-220), but I think that 
Messrs. Charlesworth’s plant may well belong to it. It is a very distinct 
and attractive species. ASK; 
