ORCHIDS. 



299 



■water, and no season of rest, as they have no pseudo- 

 bulbs, but only slender stems. Peruvian House. 



-V. punctata. — ^This little plant is frequently to be 

 found in collections under the names of X coccinea 

 and X einnabarina ; these very likely originated 

 upon the WeUerian theory, that they ntean more 

 than the word punctata. It is quite destitute of 

 pseudo-bulbs, but produces numerous tufted stems, 

 vrhich attain a height of three to six inches, sup- 

 porting small, dark green, oblong-lanceolate leaves, 

 which are arranged ia a distichous manner. Flowers 

 solitary, borne on short pedicles from the axils of 

 the upper leaves, and about an inch in diameter ; 

 sepals and petals about equal, rich cinnabar-red ; lip 

 obovate, rich yellow; its flowers are produced in 

 great profusion during March and Aprilj. Moun- 

 tains of El lisme, Peru. 



Odontoglossum The name comes from odous, 



" a tooth," and ghssa, '• a tongue," and refers to the 

 tooth-like processes with which the lip is orna- 

 mented ; they are very nearly allied to Oncidium, 

 and like that genus include a vast quantitj" of 

 species and varieties, the greater portion of which 

 are remarkable for the extreme delicacy and beauty 

 of their markings. 



Odontoglossums are all mountain plants, and 

 will not thrive in a high temperature, neither must 

 they be subjected to the drying-off system, as they 

 grow nearly all the year round; some few species 

 enjoy the temperature of the Brazilian House, but 

 these will be specially mentioned. In potting 

 Odontoglossums the first thing to study is drainage, 

 for although these plants enjoy an abundance of 

 water, it must be carried away quickly ; for compost 

 use rough peat and sphagnum moss in about equal 

 parts, surfacing with live moss, which produces a 

 neat and cheerful appearance, and the roots like to 

 work through it and cling to it ; the majority of the 

 species grow well under pot-culture, but a few of the 

 smaller kinds thrive best upon blocks of wood, and 

 when thus grown they will require frequent dippings 

 in a tub of water, which should be kept ready at 

 hand for tliis purpose. Peruvian House. 



0. Alexandra. — This species when introduced to 

 cultivation, in 1863, was described by Mr. Bateman, 

 and he then said it was " allied to 0. Pescatorei and 

 0. crispum, but is quite distinct from both, and pro- 

 bably more lovely than either." Since then, how- 

 ever, botanists have decided that Mr. Bateman's 

 plant is identical with the previously little-known 

 0. crispum ; but so anxious have all cultivators been 

 that this gem should be known by the name of our 

 lovely Princess, that Odontoglossum Alexandras has be- 

 come quite a household word, and the older name of 

 crispum is principally confined to botanical parlance. 



The pseudo-bulbs are oblong-ovate, compressed, 

 and deep green, occasionally freckled with brown to- 

 wards the apex ; leaves narrow-lanceolate, and light 

 green; raceme many-flowered, usually six to twelve 

 are developed, each measuring two to three inches 

 in diameter ; sepals and petals pure white, the 

 latter broader and waved at the margin ; Up oblong- 

 acuminate, white, crested with yellow, and orna- 

 mented with reddish-purple spots and lines. This 

 species is subject to considerable variation in its 

 markings. In the var. Bhintii the sepals and petals 

 as well as the lip are decorated with reddish-purple 

 spots ; it commemorates the discoveries of Mr. Blunt. 

 The var. Warnerii first flowered with Mr. E. Warner, 

 of Bloomfield, and is dedicated to him on account 

 of his great exertions to increase the taste for this 

 beautiful order of plants ; its flowers measure up- 

 wards of three inches across, and are very numerous ; 

 sepals and petals broad, and beautifully crisp at the 

 edges, profusely spotted wifh reddish-brown, and 

 suffused with rose; lip large, white with a, large 

 blotch in front of the yellow crest, crisp on the 

 margin. The var. Triante is so named in honour of 

 the celebrated botanist and traveller, Dr. Triana, 

 who discovered it ; the flowers are large, sepals 

 white, deeply tinged with rose, the dorsal sepal 

 having one large reddish-brown spot, the lower ones 

 several of the same colour on each ; petals broad, 

 pure white ; lip spotted with rose, and streaked ^-ith 

 rosy-purple. The var. gustatum produces large 

 flowers ; these are snow-white, with a profusion of 

 purplish spots on the sepals and petals, the lip 

 stained with rich yellow. The plants bloom nearly 

 all the year round. Xew Grenada, at 7,000 to 8,000 

 feet elevation. 



0. Bietoniense. — A strong free-growing species, 

 with oblong compressed pseudo-bulbs, about six 

 inches high, and bearing several broadly-lanceolate 

 spreading leaves ; scape erect, one to two feet high, 

 usually simple, but sometimes much branched and 

 many-flowered ; sepals and petals rich chocolate, 

 sometimes tinged with green ; lip variable, in some 

 forms white, in others rosy-purple, or deep pm'ple. 

 Winter and spring months. Guatemala, at 6, 000 to 

 7,000 feet elevation. 



0. blandum. — An elegant, somewhat small-growing 

 species, with ovate pseudo-bulbs, which are green, 

 tinged with reddish-brown, and bear narrowly- 

 lanceolate leaves six to nine inches long, and light 

 green; scape slightly shorter than the leaves, many- 

 flowered : sepals and petals white, in some varieties 

 tawny-vellow, profusely spotted and dotted with 

 deep crimson ; lip broad, acuminate, much toothed, 

 and waved at the edges, same colour as the petals, 

 stained on the crest with yeUow, and bearing a large 

 maroon blotch in the centre. It is somewhat similar 



