oF i ee 
r Che Orchid Review } 
Savte VoL. XXIV. APRIL, 1916. No. ane oe 
| ODONTOGLOSSUM VEXATIVUM AND DUVIVIERIANUM | 
HE receipt of a four-flowered inflorescence of the rare Odontoglossum 
Duvivierianum var. burfordiense from the collection of J. Gurney 
Fowler, Esq., Brackenhurst, Pembury, calls attention to a point which has 
never been cleared up. This variety received an Award of Merit from the 
R.H.S. in January, 1902, when exhibited by the late Sir Trevor Lawrence, 
Bart., and in recording its history (O.R., x. p. 59) we suggested that it was 
a natural hybrid between O. apterum and O.cordatum. The earlier record 
was QO. apterum and O. maculatum, which would make it a form of O. 
vexativum, Rchb. f. As such, indeed, we had regarded it in our article on 
Mexican Natural Hybrid Odontoglossums (O.R., ix. pp. 260-264), at which 
time we only knew O. vexativum from description. Shortly afterwards the 
fine collection of Orchid drawings made by Mr. John Day was presented to 
Kew by Mrs. Wolstenholme, and we find that it contains a painting of a 
flower of the original plant, thus enabling a comparison to be made. 
O. vEXATIVUM, Rchb. f., was painted by Mr. Day in August, 1880 (Day 
Orch. Draw., xxvii. t. 33), when Mr. Day remarked: “This . . was 
described by Prof. Reichenbach . . . from flowers received a Lord 
Londesborough, and he states that he considers it to be a natural hybrid 
between O. nebulosum and O. maculatum, in which opinion I think no one 
who is well acquainted with these species can fail to agree. The plant was 
sold last week at Stevens’, when Lord L.’s collection was disposed of. It 
was in flower, and I very much wished to buy it, but it fell to Mr. B. S. 
Williams, who was the more spirited bidder. He, however, has kindly 
obliged me with a flower. . . . I think this is the only plant of the 
variety which has ever bloomed in this country.” This painting completely 
bears out the suggested parentage, having the shorter broader segments of 
O. maculatum, with the prominent O. apterum crest. We should much 
like to know what afterwards became of the plant. 
O. Duvivierianum, L. Lind. & Rod., was based on the earlier O. 
Maculatum var. Duvivierianum, Rchb. f., which appeared in the collection 
of M. L. de Smet Duvivier, Mont. St. Amand, Ghent, it is said among 
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