1 96 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



VANDA x CONFUSA. 



The reappearance of the rare Vanda ccerulescens var. Boxallii in the 

 Glasnevin Botanic Garden, and a comparison with its allies, confirms an 

 opinion I formed some years ago that Reichenbach's plant of this name is 

 a natural hybrid between V. coerulescens and V. parviflora, and induces me 

 to publish a note nearly completed at that period. V. coerulescens var. 

 Boxallii was described over 25 years ago by Reichenbach (Gard. Chron., 

 1877, vii, p. 749). Among the differences from the typical form pointed out 

 by the author were the white sepals and petals, a shorter conical spur, and 

 the blade of the lip less dilated at the apex. It appeared in the establish- 

 ment of Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., at Upper Clapton, and almost 

 immediately afterwards was figured in the Botanical Magazine (t. 6328). A 

 fine inflorescence from Baron Schroder's collection is preserved at Kew. 

 On comparing this with an inflorescence of the type, sent for determination 

 by Mr. J. W. Moore, of Bradford, I was much struck with the much smaller 

 flowers of the former, and particularly the very short lip— characters which 

 are as strongly marked as those pointed out by Reichenbach— and this led 

 me to compare it with V. parviflora, a widely diffused species, said to be 

 generally distributed in Burma, and thus likely to occur with V. coerulescens, 

 with which the present one was imported. The result is that, apart from 

 colour, I find the present one almost exactly intermediate. V. parviflora 

 has light yellow sepals and petals, and some dark slate-blue markings on 

 the lip, while V. ccerulescens has pale lilac-blue sepals and petals, the front 

 lobe of the lip dark purple-blue, and the side lobes yellowish, and so far as 

 the sepals and petals are concerned these colours would be expected to 

 neutralise each other, and come out whitish, in a hybrid between the two, 

 which I believe the present plant to be. Some of our hybridists should 

 cross the two together and let us know the result. As we have already a 

 V. Boxallii-perhaps only a variety of V. lamellata— the above name is 

 proposed. It may be added that the characters above pointed out are 

 equally marked in the plant which has now flowered at Glasnevin, which 

 V. ccerulescens, but is quite distinct." 

 ulescens var. Lowiana described shortlv afterwards by 

 Reichenbach (Gard. Chron., 1877, viii, p. 102), as follows :— This is an 

 exceedingly pretty novelty. Give a Vanda ccerulescens Boxallii an amethyst- 

 coloured middle segment of the lip, and a little dot at each end of the sepals, 

 and you have this nicety, dedicated to Mr. Low, who was so lucky to intro- 

 duce it." It would be interesting to see this if the plant is still in existence, 

 for the question arises whether it ma^ ««+ k„ • -1 



h aiiscb wneiner it may not have a similar origin. 



R. A. Rolfe. 



' received from '. 



