230 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
or, as they say, like florists’ flowers. But they lose sight of the fact that 
the two cases are not at all parallel. In the case of florists’ flowers it is 
unnecessary to use the specific name, but this cannot be said of Orchids (or, 
indeed, other plants), of which many species are grown. I suppose our 
Cattleyas could be named like florists’ flowers; but is it desirable that they 
should be? On the contrary, it is a great convenience, both for cultural 
and other purposes, to be able to group them under their specific heads, as 
Mossiz, Triane, &c. The varietal name might be in the vernacular, it is 
true, but what is the advantage? Cattleya Mossie Wageneri is far better 
in every respect than C. Mossize Wagener’s variety, or Herr Wagener, or 
any other variation of the man’s name, or his residence, that could be 
invented ; and C. Mossiz alba would have been better still if it had been 
first applied. And don’t forget that question, ‘‘ Shall we ever have a 
universal language ?”” The vernacular system opens the door to every 
language under the sun, and under it anything like a uniform system is 
absolutely impossible. Fully half the confusion we have at present is 
directly due to its partial adoption. 
— 
One little example, and I have done. Opening my Gardeners’ Chronicle 
the other day, I stumbled across a note of some plants exhibited at Ghent 
on June gth last, and found that a Certificate of Merit was given to 
‘* Odontoglossum crispum var. Janssens and Vincent,”’ and three lines lower 
down that ‘‘ Odontoglossum Pescatorei Janssens and Vincent ”’ also received 
a similar award. I am now looking out for further developments. Fancy 
Cattleya labiata var. F. Sander & Co., Lelia purpurata L’Horticulture 
Internationale, or Dendrobium nobile Victoria and Paradise Nursery 
variety! Truly the possibilities of the vernacular system are endless. 
ARGUS. 
ONCIDIUM x HAZMATOCHILUM. 
As supplementing the note at page 174 on the above, Mr. Patter writes 
that Oncidium luridum is found throughout the island of Trinidad, while 
O. Lanceanum occurs in only one district, and there alone the hybrid is 
found. The seedling plant previously mentioned is very promising, and 
Mr. Patter hopes to see the flowers next year or the year after. He has 
also repeated the cross between the two species in question, and the 
capsules are swelling ; while with O. Lanceanum crossed with O. xX hamato- 
chilum and the reversed cross he has been equally successful. The latter 
he is watching with much interest, because the seed parent is a hybrid, 
though he sees no reason why a hybrid should not be fertile. Among 
Cypripediums, at all events, there are numerous examples of hybrids which 
are fertile, and we are inclined to think that sterility is not nearly as 
common as was formerly supposed, 
