THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



DIES ORCHIDIANI. 



The Temple Show is the great event of the month, and falls rather late 

 on this occasion, when most of my notes are already written. But a 

 glance round the tents shows that the Orchids are as numerous as ever, and 

 the quality excellent, I think above the average. A search for actual 

 novelties reveals rather less than usual, perhaps, but several of the Odonto- 

 glossums in M. Vuylsteke's fine group are unfamiliar, and rather puzzling 

 as to their origin. There was also a pretty novelty in Mr. Rutherford's 

 group, the result of crossing O. Harryanum and O. X excellens, and a 

 striking hybrid between Brassavola Digbyana and Laslia tenebrosa in 

 Messrs. Charlesworth's growth. And, if not actually new, there were two 

 very remarkable plants which I have not previously seen in anything like 

 such fine condition, namely, Odontoglossum crispum Lady Jane and 

 Cattleya intermedia Aquinii, staged side by side. Sir Trevor Lawrence 

 also staged a charming little group of rarities. I may have something 

 more to say on the subject next month. 



" What's in a Name ? — . . . A name should be used as a means 

 of distinction, a mere label, and nothing else. . . . Directly we begin 

 to make the name significant by conveying some information about the 

 nature of the plant, its history, its native place, or what not, so soon do we 

 begin to pile up confusion and trouble for the future." 



What can be the trouble ? Has someone discovered that Vanda 

 coerulea is not blue ? or got confused about Renanthera coccinea, because 

 other species of the genus have scarlet flowers ? Has it been found that 

 Rrassia ocanensis is not limited to the province of Ocana ? or perhaps that 

 Cattleya Mendelii was not originally discovered by Mendel, but only 

 flowered in his collection ? No, it is none of these things. The trouble is 

 that some plant has got a name, which is now meaningless or un- 

 grammatical, because the fact has been lost sight of, that the "name" 



