2 io THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



dulce, and O. X venificum, each of which received an Award of Merit, and 

 these, though different, also presented the characters of the same two 

 species. We therefore wrote to M. Vuylsteke, indicating our belief that all 

 were hybrids as indicated above, and asked him to state what 



the history of these plants, as it had an important bearing on the question 

 of natural hybrids. M. Vuylsteke kindly replied, saying : -" O. X ardent- 

 issimum is a hybrid between an extra fine, heavily reddish spotted 0. 

 crispum and an extra fine 0. Pescatorei with large mauve spots, very likely 

 the finest form except Veitchianum. O. X dulce, concinnum. and venificum 

 are from the same hybridisation. I have a great many plants in flower, but 

 they are mostly whites, the finely spotted forms are very limited." 



This is extremely interesting, and enables the matter to be cleared up. 

 The four forms mentioned must be classed as varieties of O. X armain- 

 villierense, which was raised by M. Jacob, gardener to Baron Edmond de 

 Rothschild, Armainvilliers, France, from O. Pescatorei crossed with 0. 

 crispum, and exhibited at a meeting of the Societe Nationale d" Horticulture 

 de France, on December 22nd, 1898, when it received a Fir.t-class Certificate. 

 It was noted as a superb form, perfect in shape, with some dark spots 

 (Journ. Soc. Nat. Hort. Fr., 1898, p. 1240). 



The annexed illustration represents M . Vuyisteke's plant— which is repro- 

 duced from a photograph taken by Mr. J. Gregory, of Croydon— and shows 

 well the intermediate shape ; and it may be added that the characters of 0. 

 Pescatorei are as obvious in the, column wings and crest as in the pandurate 

 shape of the lip. The markings are claret-colour or vinous purple, and the 

 ground colour white. It is extremely handsome, and according to a note in 

 the Journal of Horticulture was purchased by an amateur for £425. The 

 varieties concinnum, dulce, and venificum all showed the same unmistakable 

 Pescatorei influence, but not having flowers for examination we can add 

 nothing to the brief characters given at p. 175. 



An interesting question remains to be cleared up, namely, whether 

 O. crispum and O. Pescatorei grow anywhere together. There is the 

 record of Q. crispum, triumphans, harvengtense and Pescatorei coming 

 home together (Orch. Rev., vii., p. 167). Then came positive confirmation 

 that O. crispum and triumphans grow intermixed, both in the record that 

 M. Claes had seen them growing together (I.e., p. 326, 327), and also in the 

 occurrence of O. X loochristiense, the natural hybrid between them, in 

 importations of O. crispum. We know that near Ocana O. triumphans 

 and O. Pescatorei grow and hybridise together (yielding O. X excellens), 

 and it would be interesting to know whether O. Pescatorei also reaches 

 the O. crispum district. We believe that one or two curious forms which 

 have appeared among the latter have been suspected of such an origin, but 

 the question has never been cleared up. We should like to see a flower of 



