THE ORCHID REVIEW. 173 
DENDROBIUM PULCHELLUM AND D. LODDIGESII. 
A splendid plant of the charming little Dendrobium Loddigesii, or what 
is often incorrectly called D. pulchellum, has just flowered in the establish- 
ment of Mr. James Cypher, of Cheltenham. It is growing in an eight-inch 
pan, and produced about three hundred blooms, forming a most lovely 
sight. It is a dwarf species, with creeping habit, and was introduced to 
cultivation by Messrs. Loddiges, of Hackney, prior to 1833. In that year 
it was figured in Loddiges’ Botanical Cabinet (t. 1935) as D. pulchellum, India 
being given as the native country. The Indian D. pulchellum, however, is 
a very different plant, about which for a long time practically nothing was 
known beyond the original description, and the name became transferred to 
a totally different plant. The confusion has since been pointed out, and it 
may be of interest to repeat the matter, as the name D. pulchellum is still 
often applied to the wrong plant. 
D. pulchellum was originally named by Roxburgh, but the description 
did not appear until 1830 (Lindl. Gen. and Sp. Orch., p. 82). It is a tall 
species, about three feet high, bearing long racemes of large nankeen yellow 
flowers with a concave lip, on which are a pair of dark maroon eye-like 
spots. In fact it is none other than the well-known D. Dalhousieanum 
(Paxt. Mag. of Bot., xi., p. 145, with plate), described in 1844, as Roxburgh’s 
drawing shows. 
Loddiges commenced the confusion by transferring the name to the 
dwarf species mentioned above, which is stated to be a native of India. 
Maund also figured it (Botanist,1., t. 5), stating that it was a native of 
Sylhet. These habitats, however, are probably copied from Lindley, for 
the species is now known to be a native of China. Lindley next added to 
the confusion by making the quite distinct D. Devonianum, Poxt,,. & 
synonym of D. pulchellum (Journ. Linn. Soc. IIL, p. 12). Reichenbach 
afterwards made it a distinct variety of D. pulchellum. The three, how- 
ever, are quite distinct, as has since been pointed out (Rolfe in Gard, Chr, 
1887, ii., p. 1 55), and as Loddiges’ plant required a new hame it has since 
been called D. Loddigesii. As long ago as 7858 Sir William H ooker had 
expressed a doubt as to the identity of Loddiges’ D. pulchellum with the 
original one of Roxburgh, and the matter has now been entirely cleared up. 
All three species are well known in cultivation, and are among the most 
attractive in the genus. : 
D. a aii Roxburgh (D. Dalhousienum, Paxt.), was ae af ete 
worth in 1837 by Gibson, who had obtained it from the Calcutta - a 
Garden, to which establishment it had been presented att 
It ranges from Sikkim to Burma. The racemes a produced ae — 
_ leafless pseudobulbs, sometimes for several years in succession, <r ake 
and well-flo d plant is a most imposing sight. It succeeds well under the 
wered p : 
_ Same treatment as is given to others from the same region. 
