NoveMBER, (916.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 263 
existence of this beautiful plant, and for many years no additional inform- 
ation was received. It was afterwards found without a locality among 
Karwinski’s dried plants in the Munich Museum, and in September, 1839, 
the specimen now figured produced its flowers in Mr. Barker’s collection 
at Birmingham. Neither this, however, nor any of the dried materials, 
conveyed a true idea of the natural appearance of this species when in 
health and flowering under favourable circumstances. It was not till 
specimens, collected on the Cumbre of Totontepeque in Mexico, at the 
elevation of gooo above the sea, were received from Mr. Hartweg, that I 
had any conception of the superb appearance of the plant. One of them 
now before me has a spike covered with fifteen large orange-coloured 
flowers, all expanded at once, over a space of more than six inches in 
length, and forming a most conspicuous object.” 
This 1s clearly the plant to which Mr. Day alludes, though the varietal 
name did not originate with Lindley. It appears to have been published 
in 1866 (Fl. Mag., t. 261), when plants flowered with Messrs. James Veitch 
& Sons, and it is briefly remarked that it is, ‘‘as its name implies, a larger 
variety of the well-known E. vitellinum, with brighter colour, and in every 
way an improved form.” The note about the different flowering period 
was added by Mr. B. S. Williams when figuring the plant (Orch. Alb., 1. t. 
4), and the history was subsequently added by Messrs. Veitch (Man. Orch., 
vi. p. 126). It was collected by M. Roezl, near the Vera Cruz and Mexico 
Railway, a few leagues from Orizaba, growing upon old and stunted oaks 
in a district where it rains regularly from one to two hours a day from May 
to October, and where from December to February dense fogs are common, 
and frosts are by no means rare during the night, but in the hottest months 
the temperature ranges from 60° to 70° Fahr. It is added: “‘ From that 
time to the present E..vitellinum majus has been universally recognised as 
the finest Epidendrum of its colour in cultivation ; the original type is now 
but rarely seen.” 
Another turn of the wheel seems to have brought the original type to 
the front again, for the so-called variety autumnale has all its characters. 
The original plant, it may be noticed, flowered in September, and in a 
batch of E. vitellinum autumnale a considerable variation in size may be 
seen, in fact some exactly match the old type. It appears to flower from 
the newly-made growth without resting, while var. majus rests during the 
winter and produces its flowers in the spring or early summer, a difference 
probably due to the conditions of its native habitat. The latter is probably 
a local or climatal variety, and chiefly differs from the old type in the time 
of flowering, though it is generally larger. Chapman remarks that asa 
rule plants in cultivation are called E. vitellinum majus, however 
poor in flower they may be (Orch., p.. 247). The name E. vitellinum 
