ORCHIDS. 



91 



many beautiful plants "from that wonderful island 

 he loved so well. The leaves ai-e distichous, ahout a 

 foot long, upwards of two inches wide, lobed at the 

 apex, dark green above, palerbeueath; spikes eighteen 

 to twenty-four inches long, arcuate, many-flowered, 

 pm-e white, very sweet-scented ; spur straight, slender, 

 some six inches or more long, buff-coloured; the 

 petals are much reflexed, and the side view of the 

 flower presents a very striking likeness to a cockatoo 

 with its crest up. Spring months. Madagascar. 



A. Kotschyi. — A plant similar in habit to the 

 preceding; the leaves, however, are broader, and 

 not lobed at the apex ; racemes long and pendulous, 

 many-flowei'ed ; flowers ivory-white ; spur very 

 long, much twisted, and reddish-brown in colour. 

 October and November. Eastern Africa. 



A. scsquipedale, an erect-growing, handsome species, 

 producing enormous flowers. Mr. EUis, who first 

 introduced it in a Uviug state, says respecting it : — 

 "Angriecum sesquipedaU does not grow in. the moist 

 and thiddy- wooded parts of the lower districts of 

 the island, but generally on the straggHng trees 

 along the edges of the forests." " It seemed to grow 

 most freely where there was plenty of light and air." 

 " In its native state, the plant most frequently pre- 

 sented a starved appearance and straggling habit. 

 In this state the flowers were abundant, and deeper 

 in creamy colour than when growing in the shade." 

 Again he says : — " The largest plants were found 

 about twelve or twenty feet from the groimd, and 

 smaller ones often higher up ; but I once found the 

 trunk of a tree lying quite rotten on the ground, and 

 Angraeiun sesqiiipedale growing at intervals along its 

 entire length. The roots, which had penetrated the 

 decayed vegetable fibre of the tree, were compara- 

 tively white, short, and fleshy ; the leaves larger, 

 of a darker green, and more succulent ; but there 

 were no flowers." This latter remark proves the 

 necessity of a short season of rest to produce flowers. 

 Under cultivation, this grand species has produced 

 flowers as large, or even exceeding the dimensions 

 which its name records. Leaves two-ranked, closely 

 imbricating at the base, broadly oblong, about a foot 

 long, bluntly lobed at the apex, intense deep green 

 in colour; peduncles axillary ; two to five-flowered ; 

 flowers pure ivory-white, in some varieties becoming 

 creamy, measuring six to seven inches across, and its 

 long greenish spur upwards of a foot in length ; sepals 

 and petals nearly equal in size, broad at the base, 

 and tapering upwards to a point ; the lip is ovate, 

 and also pointed, slightly serrate on the edges. 



Other species of Angrsecum, most of them of 

 recent introduction, and all bearing white flowers, 

 are A. of/ptodon, descendeiis, fastuosum, fuacatum, and 

 inodestum, all from Madagascar ; A. caudatum, 



ci-emtum, and EicMerianum, from Western Africa ; 

 and A. Scottianum and A. Leonis, from the Comoro 

 Islands. 



Anguloa — A genus of terrestrial plants, con- 

 tainmg but a few species, all of which are, however, 

 weU deserving the attention of lovers of orchids. 

 They are named in honour- of Angulo, a famous 

 Spanish naturaUst, and produce large, stout, erect 

 pseudo-bulbs, which attain a height of six to nine 

 inches; leaves usually in pairs, some twelve to 

 eighteen inches long, broad and plaited; scape 

 produced from the base of the pseudo-bulb, about 

 one foot long, erect, leafy, bearing on the summit 

 a single large and fleshy flower. 



Anguloas like deep shade, and should be potted 

 in rough peat and sphagnum moss. When grow- 

 ing they enjoy an abundant supply of water to 

 the roots, and the atmosphere should also be well 

 charged with moisture; but it is during this stage 

 only that such a moist regimen holds good. After 

 the pseudo-bulbs are finished, avoiding any sudden 

 changes, the supply must be gradually withheld if 

 the plants are to thrive. Peruvian House. 



A. Cloivesii. — This is the most robust of the known 

 species. The flowers come up with the young shoots, 

 and expand when the growth is about half com- 

 pleted. The scapes bear one large and Tulip-like 

 fiower, which is rich yeUow in colour, with the 

 perfume of a medicine-chest. On accoimt of the 

 great substance of the sepals and petals, the flowers 

 last a long time in perfection. June and July. 

 Columbia. 



A. eiui-nea. — Less robust in growth than the 

 preceding, but similar in appearance ; pseudo-bulbs 

 deep green; flowers large, pure white, in some 

 varieties slightly dotted with pink on the labellum. 

 June and July. New Grenada. 



A. Suckerii. — The pseudo-bulbs of this grand 

 species are some three or four inches high, oblong- 

 ovate, deep green. The broad flag- shaped leaves are 

 light green; flowers large; sepals and petals rich 

 brownish-orange, plain outside, but the inner surface 

 profusely spotted with crimson ; lip greenish-yellow. 

 June and July. Columbia. 



A. Buckerii, var. sanguinea. — ^Bather less robust in 

 habit than the typical plant, but producing flowers 

 equally as large. These are tawny-yellow or 

 greenish on the outside, but inside the sepals and 

 petals are of a uniform deep blood-colour. June 

 and July^ Columbia. 



A. wiijlora. — This is the smallest species of the 

 genus yet introduced. The flowers are very beauti- 

 ful, being pure white or creamy white, spotted with 

 pink. In some varieties the spotting is very pro- 

 fuse. June and July. Columbia. 



