Jan.-Fup., igi.) THE ORCHID REVIEW. 5 
rom Messrs. Veitch as O. aspersum (Gard. Chron., 1879, i. p. 266), 
remarking, ‘‘ No doubt this isa new hybrid, the third one (after Humeanum 
and vexativum) in this affinity, standing between O. maculatum and 
Rossii.” . . . The short, broad bracts and the short sepals exclude the 
idea of O. cordatum (so much resembling O. Humeanum). The white lip 
-and the blotches of the sepals belong to O. Rossii. It must be regarded as 
O. maculatum var. Rossii” (the “ var.” probably a misreading of “ x.”) 
Messrs. Veitch enumerated both aspersum and Humeanum as varieties 
of O. Rossii (Man. Orch., i. p. 65), though considering them different, and 
admitting their hybrid origin, remarking also that the O. Humeanum ot 
some collections is but a slight deviation from aspersum. 
Somewhat later O. Humeanum was figured (Reichenbachia, ser. 1, ii. 
p- 75, t. 82), when it was remarked: “O. Humeanum is universally 
considered to be a natural hybrid between O. Rossii and O. cordatum, but 
a comparison of the shape and structure of the flowers leads us to think 
that there is less of O. cordatum and more of 0. maculatum in it, the 
characters of the latter being also observable in’ habit of growth.” «This 
view we also took in a revision of the Mexican natural hybrid Odonto- 
glossums (O.R., ix. p. 260-262). In fact we have never seen a natural 
hybrid that combined the characters of O. cordatum and O. Rossii, though 
that between O. maculatum and QO. Rossii is represented at Kew from 
seventeen different sources. Nor can we find that O. cordatum and O. 
Rossii anywhere grow together.’ The two others evidently grow together, 
and there are native specimens from the same collectors, obtained at the : 
same altitudes of 7000 to.gooo feet, while those of O. cordatum are different 
in both respects. On the whole O. cordatum is a more southern plant, and 
we believe that it occurs at a lower altitude., If ever the Reichenbachian 
Herbarium is accessible perhaps the doubt will be cleared up, but at 
present we cannot find conclusive ‘evidence of the existence of a natural | 
hybrid between O. cordatum and O. Rossii. It would be interesting if 
someone would attempt to raise one artificially. 
The wild hybrid varies rather in colour; the artificial one has a pale 
primrose ground colour, the sepals being closely blotched with red-brown 
throughout, and the petals on their basal third. The crest of the jip is 
pale yellow, with a few minute brown dots, and the back of the lip is 
flushed with pale violet. It may be interesting to add a few words as to 
the history of the plant. The two species being in bloom in Mr. Moore’s 
collection led to a remark about the disputed origin of O. Humeanum, and 
Mr. Moore invited the writer to make the cross. Ultimately but one 
seedling survived, and as it did not seem inclined to bloom Mr. Moore 
invited me to try and find a home for it where such plants were grown 
successfully. The rest is on record. It has been rather a long trusteeship, 
