See 
THE ORCHID REVIEW. 325 
SOPHRONITIS GRANDIFLORA AND ITS VARIETIES. 
AN exceptionally fine flower of Sophronitis grandiflora purpurea is sent 
from the collection of Dr. Hodgkinson, The Grange, Wilmslow, cut from 
the plant which received an Award of Merit from the Manchester and North 
of England Orchid Society on October 12th last, under the name of S. 
grandiflora rosea. It is, however, much larger and darker in colour than 
that variety. The flower sent measures more than 34 inches in diameter. 
and the petals are over 14 inches broad, the colour being a brilliant carmine- 
purple, or nearly cerise, with some darker veining on the lip. It came out 
of an importation made by Messrs. F. Sander & Co. The form has long 
been known in gardens, and was described by Reichenbach, in 1878, under 
the name of Sophronitis purpurea (Gard. Chron., 1878, ix., p- 462), as fol- 
lows :—“ This is the rare but well-known short-bulbed Sophronitis grandi- 
flora of the English Orchidists. I have known it for more than 
thirty years, having obtained it in Herr Hofrath Keil’s garden at Leipsic, 
which is under M. Tube’s skilful management. It is immediately known by 
its short, nearly elliptical leaves, blunt petals, and the purplish colour of its 
flowers. I had a long and interesting correspondence about it with Mr. 
Day some time ago. I have also had in London many conversations 
about the plant with other Orchidists, and finally Sir Trevor Lawrence has 
twice sent me excellent materials. Sed manet alta mente repostum. My 
hope that Sir Trevor would forget the question has failed, and I am urged 
to give a name, as Sir Trevor is not accustomed to growing two different 
things under the same name. There is no more avoiding the long-avoided 
crisis—a name has just been given. Now we have three things, the long- 
bulbed, great flowered S. grandiflora, the small-flowered scarlet S. militaris, 
and the short-bulbed, purple-flowered S. purpurea. If they are not 
Species they are decidedly very distinct things for gardens.” 
These forms are now generally considered as varieties of one somewhat 
variable species. S. grandiflora purpurea for some reason still remains rare 
in cultivation, and the only figure of it which we remember is in Warner’s 
Select Orchidaceous Plants, iii., t. 3, where the lower of the two figures, 
labelled s. grandiflora, agrees very well with the flower sent by Dr. 
Hodgkinson. We have seen a form of a more distinctly purple shade. 
S. grandiflora rosea (Garden, xxv., pp. 178, 474, t- 643) is a wy pretty 
variety, of a clear rose-pink shade, which flowered in the collection of J.T. 
Peacock, Esq., Sudbury House, Hammersmith, in 1884. Itisa short-bulbed 
form, with rather smaller flowers than the preceding, and lighter in colour. 
The latest addition to the cultivated members of the genus is Sophronitis 
Rossiteriana, which was described by Rodrigues, in 1877 (Gen. et Sp. Orch. 
Bee,, i., P- 77). It was discovered at Barbacena, in the province of Minas 
