AUGUST, 1917.| THE ORCHID REVIEW. 183 
The confusion just mentioned found an echo in several later works. In 
1860 O. nevium was figured in Pescatorea (t. 13), where we find the 
erroneous claim that the species was originally discovered by M. J. Linden 
in 1842. This, naturally, resulted from Lindley’s initial mistake about the 
Truxillo plant, which is repeated without question, and the remark that the 
species was afterwards met with by Schlim in the mountains near Santa 
Martha—probably the source of the plant figured—which might have 
afforded a real clue, seems to have passed almost unnoticed. An interesting 
light on the subsequent history of the species is given by Mr. Day, who 
figured it in April, 1881, from a plant purchased at Mr. Milner’s sale, in 
Edinburgh, in September, 1879 (Orch. Draw., xxix. t. 17). By this time 
the species had become rare, and Mr. Day remarked: “This is one of the 
first Orchids I ever bought—say, in 1859 or 1860. Veitch had a good 
stock of it, which they imported. . . . O. nevium has never been 
found again, though special expeditions have been made for it, and it has 
often been announced at sales, but has never proved true.’’ Many years 
later the species was rediscovered on the Sierra Nevada of Santa Martha, 
Venezuela, enabling the original confusion to be cleared up. 
The Madagascar Phaius tuberculosus has been the subject of a remark- 
able confusion, and its rectification a few years ago led to a good deal of 
feeling. The species was originally figured by Thouars in 1822, under the 
name of Limodorum tuberculosum (Orch. Iles. Afr., t. 31), which after- 
wards became Phaius tuberculosus, Blume. Over half-a-century later M. 
Leon Humblot introduced to cultivation a handsome Madagascar Phaius, 
which flowered in the collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, and was identified 
by Reichenbach with the plant of Thouars (Gard. Chron., 1881, i. p. 428). 
It soon obtained a great reputation in gardens, and, being used for 
hybridising, yielded several very handsome hybrids. About twenty years 
later still another batch was brought home by M. G. Warpur, and with 
it another species having very similar flowers but a totally different habit. 
The latter soon flowered at Kew, when the discovery was at once made 
that it was none other than the original Phaius tuberculosus. This left the 
garden plant, by this time well known and frequently figured as P. tuber- 
culosus, without a name, hence that of P. simulans, Rolfe, was given (O.R., 
ix. p. 43), in allusion to the close resemblance of its flowers to the original 
plant, while the climbing habit was totally different, the other being 
terrestrial and with a short stout rhizome. The correction was not at first 
accepted, and the new-comer was exhibited at a meeting of the R.H.S. as 
P. Warpuri, Weathers, while a considerable discussion took place as to the 
merits of the question (See O.R., ix. pp. 65-67). It was simply a case of 
mis-identification, and the only course was to rectify the mistake before 
the original plant became established in gardens under another name. 
