234 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENINa. 



distinguished ty special names. The flowers are 

 produced from May to August ; they are very fra- 

 grant and last long in full beauty. La Guayra. 



C. Itegnellii. — This very elegant plant must be 

 grown upon a block in the warmest end of the 

 Brazilian House ; it is similar in appearance to 

 C. Aolandias, but is more robust in growth ; it, how- 

 ever, does not belong to the same section of the 

 genus as the last-named species, for in the kind 

 now under consideration the lateral lobes of the 

 lip form a complete hood over the column. The 

 pseudo-bulbs are clavate, and some four or five 

 inches high ; leaves short, usually in pairs, although 

 sometimes three are produced from the top of the 

 stem ; they are oblong-obtuse, coriaceous, and dark 

 green ; scape erect, three to five - fiowered, each 

 flower some four inches in diameter ; sepals and 

 petals nearly equal, with wavy margins ; ground- 

 colour pale green, tinged with olive, transversely 

 spotted with dull purple ; lip large, three-lobed, 

 the side lobes white, tinged with purple, deep purple 

 within ; middle lobe large, flat, obcordate, narrow at 

 the base, where it is yellow and distinctly marked 

 with five parallel lines ; front portion rich bright 

 purple, with a white marginal border ; middle lobe 

 finely toothed. It blooms twice in the year — first 

 about June or July, and again in September or 

 October. Brazil. 



C. SHnnerii is an old inhabitant of our gardens, 

 and a universal favourite. Mr. Skiniter, in honour 

 of whom it is named, says that "it inhabits the hot, 

 damp coasts of Guatemala, and is always found on 

 high trees, seldom bearing any lichens, so that the 

 moisture from the heavy rains soon passes off; 

 neither does it seek shade, but rather likes exposed 

 places." This specimen is the Flor de San Sebastian of 

 the Guatemalese ; it should be grown in the warmest 

 part of the Brazilian House ; the pseudo-bulbs are 

 clavate, twelve to eighteen inches high, and bear 

 a pair of pale green coriaceous leaves ; the peduncle 

 bears six to twelve flowers, which are of a uniform 

 soft rosy-purple, saving the base of the lip, which 

 is white ; quite recently we had a pure white form 

 introduced, which has been named C. Skinnerii alba ; 

 it is, however, a rarity at present. March to May. 

 Guatemala. 



C. superba has always been found a difficult plant 

 to manage. It is found in the southern parts of 

 Essequibo, growing on the trees which skirt, and 

 overhang the rivers. It requires to be grown upon a 

 block, and enjoys plenty of heat and moisture ; the 

 East Indian House will suit it well when growing. 

 The Indians call it Oponopodoli, — the Duck's mouth. 

 C. superba seldom exceeds a foot in height ; the stems 

 are slender at the base, thickening upwards, furrowed, 

 and bearing a pair of nearly sound, coriaceous, dark 



green leaves ; the peduncle is erect, bearing three to 

 six flowers, which are thick and fleshy ; sepals and 

 petals deep rose ; lip rich magenta, or crimson, ex- 

 cept the base, where it is yellow, veined . with rose 

 and white. It flowers from the young pseudo-bulbs 

 when about half mature. Another form has been 

 found on the banks of the Eio Negro ; it is called 

 superba elegans; the parts of the flower are longer 

 and the leaves are more oblong than in the original 

 form ; flowers larger, about the same colour. June 

 and July. British Guiana. 



C. Triante. — Under this name we have an immense 

 varie'ty of grand forms, all of which are winter 

 bloomers. The plants in question are bold growers, 

 something in the way of, yet distinct from, the Men- 

 dellii group. They have stout clavate pseudo-bulbs, 

 bearing an erect, broad, dark green leaf ; the peduncle 

 bears from three to six flowers, which measure five 

 to six inches in diameter; the sepals and petals 

 are usually very broad, and vary from pure white 

 through all shades to deep rose ; the lip varies in in- 

 tensity, the large front lobe being deep rose to deep 

 velvety-purple, with a more or less large and high- 

 coloured stain of yeUow or orange in the throat. 

 Winter months. New Grenada. 



No species has given rise to a greater number of 

 attractive varieties than C. Triancs, and some of tliese 

 were formerly considered as true species. One of 

 these, formerly known as C quadricolor, was at one 

 time described and figured as a species, with a sug- 

 gestion that it might be a natural hybrid. Mr. Bate- 

 man, who in describing it adopted Dr. Lindley's MS. 

 name, said : " The pseudo-bulbs are from six inches 

 to a foot long, perfectly upright, narrower and more 

 compressed than in any other allied species ; leaves 

 one on each stem, narrow, strap-shaped, acute, usually 

 about ten inches long ; peduncle issuing from a 

 large spathe, and bearing one or two flowers about 

 four inches across, but not so much spread open as 

 is usual in this genus ; sepals pure white, oblong- 

 lanceolate obtuse ; petals slightly spathulate, three 

 times wider than the sepals, and of the purest white ; 

 lip undivided, cucuUate, but not much opened out at 

 the apex, which is somewhat curled, and of a deep 

 purple ; below this is a band of white, then streaks 

 of yellow, the residue being rosy-lilac." The variety 

 known as delicata, or C. Warsceii'iczii delicata, has 

 flowers six inches in diameter, pure white except the 

 disc of the lip, which is fringed with rose and stained 

 with yellow. It resembles C. Trlance in habit of 

 growth, and is a most superb plant. Hundreds of 

 forms of this variety have, however, been introduced, 

 too numerous to mention more in detail ; but with 

 few if any exceptions, all the varieties come from 

 New Grenada. 



C. vclutina. — In its growth this species resembles 



