THE ORCHID REVIEW. 19 
ANGRACUM EBURNEUM AND ITS ALLIES. 
THE species of this group are fine old garden plants which flower at this 
season of the year, and as they afford another curious example of the con- 
fusion in the history of apparently well-known species, the following notes 
will be useful. 
Angrecum eburneum is the original species of the genus, and was 
figured and described in 1804 by Bory, who met with it in the Island of 
Bourbon, and named it in allusion to its ivory white lip. In 1832 Lindley 
figured what he thought was the same plant in the Botanical Register, and 
after speaking of it as not uncommon in Bourbon, remarked, ‘‘ It was also 
met with at St. Mary’s, Madagascar, by the unfortunate Forbes, by whom 
the only plant known to exist in Europe was sent to the Horticultural 
Society. From that plant the accompanying drawing was made in 
November last, when it flowered for the first time, continuing in beauty 
for nearly two months.” This plant was not the true A. eburneum at all, 
but the allied species A. superbum, Thouars, as was pointed out by 
Reichenbach, yet the blunder continues to be repeated down to the present 
day. 
In 1847 Lindley described a plant under the name of A. virens, which 
flowered with Messrs. Loddiges, of Hackney, remarking, ‘‘ This is very 
like a small state of Angraecum eburneum, but Mr. Loddiges regards it as 
distinct ; and in the flatness of the median ridge of the lip, and in the 
smaller size of all the parts, it seems to be distinguishable.’’ It was said to 
have come from Serampore, but Lindley suggested that it might have come 
from the old Botanic Gardens there. It is, however, probable that the 
record arose through some blunder. A few years later, in Paxton’s Flower 
Garden, he added, ‘‘ In the Garden of Plants at Paris were growing in June 
last two or three specimens of this remarkable plant, of which we had 
previously seen fragments only from the late Mr. George Loddiges.” These 
had been received from Bourbon, and were in reality the true A. eburneum, 
which Lindley, however, failed to recognise. 
In 1854 a third species was described, in Pescatorea, under the name of 
A. Brongniartianum, Rchb. f., when the confusion respecting the two 
earlier species was pointed out. This plant flowered in the collection of 
M. Pescatore at Paris, and is said to have previously come from the collec- 
tion of Madame Quesnel, of Havre. This has since been erroneously 
referred to A. eburneum as a synonym. 
There is a fourth species which has also been confused with A. 
eburneum, namely, A. Giryame, Rendle, and though believed not yet to be 
in cultivation, it is here included for the sake of completeness. 
The subsequent confusion in the nomenclature of these species may be 
