i4 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



CYPRIPEDIUM FRED. HARDY AND C. x RADIANS. 



The history of the curious Cypripedium Fred. Hardy (and its allies) as- 

 given at page 369 of our last volume, has brought the following interesting 

 communication from Mr. J. T. Rushton, gardener to Captain Hincks, 

 Terrace House, Richmond, Yorks :— " I am sending you flowers of a seed- 

 ling Cypripedium. It is a cross between C. Spicerianum and Charles- 

 worthii, the latter being the pollen parent. The seed was sown in March, 

 1897. The plants are very small, and the leaves are about intermediate 

 between the two parents. I should be pleased to know if it throws any 

 light upon the history of C. Fred. Hardy, whose history I have just read." 

 The two flowers sent do not agree with the one sent by Mr. Eichel, whose 

 resemblance to C. Fred. Hardy we have already remarked, but are 

 unmistakably intermediate between the two parents mentioned. The dorsal 

 sepal is flat, or very slightly concave, z\ inches across, with a small green 

 area at the base, a rose-purple medium band, and the remainder white, 

 beautifully veined and reticulated with rose. The petals are spreading 

 rather more undulated and less reticulated than those of C. Charlesworthii, 

 while the colour, like that of the lip, approaches that of the other parent. 

 The staminode is whiter and less folded than in C. Spicerianum, but other- 

 wise it most resembles this parent. One of the seedlings is considerably 

 darker than the other, having much more rose on the dorsal sepal, both in 

 front and behind, while the petals and lip are also more suffused with 

 brown. It is a most charming little hybrid, and a worthy companion to its 

 two parents. According to the record it should be identical with Mr, 

 Eichel's hybrid, but it is not so, and indeed differs from it much more than 

 does that from C. Fred. Hardy. 



Since the above was written we have received from Mr. A. J. Keeling, 



Cottingley, Bingley, a flower of the hybrid exhibited by him at Manchester 



on November 26th, under the name of C. X radians (Charlesworthii X 



Spicerianum, see vol. ix., p. 367). Mr. Keeling remarks that he is perfectly 



certain of the cross, and that he has two more seedlings in flower, all being 



alike, both flowers and foliage being intermediate. We may briefly add 



that it closely resembles the lightest of the two forms sent by Captain 



Hincks. Mr. Keeling remarks that he fails to connect the hybrid with C 



Fred. Hardy, the differences being so large, which makes the origin of the' 



latter more doubtful than ever, unless it be a distinct species, or a distinct 



form of C. Charlesworthii. Finally he asks, « Do you think it could be a 



natural hybrid between Charlesworthii and the species noted as C. Craw- 



theTs ° f f th } ! latterVery HttIeiS kn ° Wn ' but ^ the des -Ption given 

 there seems to be some resemblance to C. Fred. Hardy, and there may be 



