EPIDENDBUM. 175 



flowers of which are very distinct in colour. The following 

 comprise all the best sorts that I know. They are all ever- 

 green, and compact in their habit, except E. dnnabarinum, 

 E. crassifolium, E. rhizophorwin, and a few others, which 

 are tall-growing, with long slender stems, clothed with small 

 leaves from top to bottom. The other sorts have short 

 round pseudobulbs, with long narrow leaves, except E. auran- 

 tiacum, E. bicornutum, and E. Stamfordianum, which grow 

 more in the way of the CaUleyas, with upright bulbs, having 

 two or three short leaves on the top. They all produce their 

 flowers from the top of the stem or bulb, except E. Stam- 

 fordianum, in which they rise from the base. 



These plants will all do in the Mexican house, and may be 

 grown on blocks of wood ; but pot culture is the best for the 

 majority of the species ; the drainage must be perfect, and 

 sphagnum moss and peat should be used in about equal 

 parts. They require a season of rest, with the same treatment 

 as the Cattleyas, excepting that they need less heat. They 

 are propagated by dividing the plants, as described in the 

 remarks on Propagation. 



E. alatum majus. — ^A pretty species from Mexico. Its 

 flowers are produced on spikes in June or July, and are pale 

 yellow, the lip striped with purple, and it continues five or six 

 weeks in beauty. There are several varieties of E. alatum, 

 but the one here described is the only one worth the attention 

 of amateurs. 



E. aloifolium. — A pretty species when well grown, and a 

 native of Guatemala. The plant is pendulous in habit, and 

 very ' distinct from any of the other Epidendrums, having 

 curious and narrow-pointed leaves. The flowers, which are 

 large, proceed from the top of the bulb, one or two together ; 

 the sepals and petals are greenish yellow and brown, and the 

 lip is of a pure white. It blooms during the summer months, 



