JANUARY, 1918]. THE: QGRECHITD: REVIEW. 7 
As to symbiosis in general, we see that it is a kind of balanced parasitism, 
in which both parties to the arrangement derive some benefit. The fungus 
mycelium first invades the root as a parasite, and grows for a time in the 
root tissues, but ultimately the plant, by digesting the invading mycelium, 
recovers the material of which it has been robbed, and, as Rayner concludes, 
‘the flowering plant possessing mycorhiza has done more than hold the 
invader in check; it has turned the intrusion to its own advantage.” ‘lhe 
special relationship has become obligate on the part of the flowering plant, 
and it has further solved the problem of securing infection by the fungus 
mycelium. The evolutionary history must have been long and complex, 
and it is suggested that the case of Gastrodia elata may represent one of 
the side lines of development that will doubtless be brought to light. 
Observations on other species of Gastrodia would be specially interesting in 
this connection. 
BRASSOCATLHLIA OpuHir.—The fact to which you call attention at page 
42, in commenting on the beautiful Brassocatlelia Lady Manningham 
Buller, is one of the commonest experiences of hybridists, and the writer 
is informed that another seedling of the batch has flowered and proved 
worthless. A similar case occurred a few months earlier. A First-class 
Certificate was awarded by the R.H.S. to a very fine hybrid, and a flower 
from another seedling of the batch was shown, and was not considered 
worthy of mention. It was inferior in every respect, and had this particular 
seedling flowered before the other the cross would probably have been 
considered a failure. Any attempt to sell these inferior forms when out of 
bloom under the certificated names would be considered little short of fraud, 
As arule nothing further is heard about them, but every hybridist has 
experience of them, though the disparity is often not so great. The rule of 
regarding seedlings out of the same batch as forms of one is a good one, 
and serves to keep together colour variations of the same hybrid in a way 
that nothing else can, but it has its inconveniences, and the system which 
you have consistently advocated, of giving a specific name to which 
exceptional forms can always be added as varieties, should be uniformly 
adopted. It gives a useful piece of historical information which would 
otherwise be lost. For example we are now getting a lot of albino 
Cattleyas which are more like each other than they are to the ordinary 
forms of the same hybrid, but if one calls them Cattleya Claesiana alba, C. 
Enid alba, &c., their relationship is apparent at a glance.—ORCHIDIST. 
[We remember the flower alluded to, but it was not labelled. The 
point of the argument, of course, is that the specific name should be limited 
to a single word, in accordance with the rules. Some remarkable cases of 
variation have already been illustrated and we hope to give others.—ED.] 
