THE ORCHID REVIEW. 2g1 
The August number of the Kew Bulletin contains a fourteenth Decade of 
new Orchids described by Mr. Rolfe, which are more particularly noted on 
another page. 
A magnificent spray of seven flowers of Dendrobium formosum 
- giganteum has been sent from the collection of H. J. Elwes, Esq., Coles- 
borne, Gloucestershire, by Mr. Lane. One flower has petals over 2} 
inches broad, and all the parts are proportionately large. It is a splendid 
example of good culture. 
a 
CATTLEYA DOWIANA. 
A most beautiful flower of Cattleya Dowiana aurea has been received 
from Messrs. Hurst & Son, Purbage Nurseries, near Hinckley, and raises 
once more the question of its distinctness from the original form. The 
petals are prettily flushed with pink round the apical margin, the lip very 
dark without any yellow at the sides, and the flower is powerfully fragrant. 
These are just the characters of the original Costa Rica form, which, we 
believe, is rare in cultivation, and we have seen other forms from New 
Granada which in the characters named approached more nearly to the 
type than to C. D. aurea. What other differences the Costa Rica form 
may possess have yet to be pointed out, and our present opinion is that 
the geographical difference between the two is of more importance than 
anything else. Perhaps Mr. Richard Pfau, who has already given us some 
interesting notes on the species (Orchid Review, ii., p. 295), will kindly say 
if he has found anything like C. D. aurea in Costa Rica. — 
This gorgeous species was originally discovered by Warscewicz in Costa 
Rica about the year 1850, and some plants were sent to Messrs. Hugh Low 
& Co., of Clapton, but unfortunately they arrived in bad condition, and 
eventually died. A packet of dried specimens, said to have been sent to 
Prof. Reichenbach, also failed to reach its destination, and nothing further 
being heard about the species its very existence began to be doubted. At 
length, however, it was re-discovered by Mr. Arce, a native naturalist, who 
was collecting natural history objects in Costa Rica for Mr. Skinner, and 
plants were at once transmitted to England. These passed into the 
establishment of Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea, and one of them 
flowered in the autumn of 1865. A plant given to Mr. Bateman flowered 
at Knypersley a year later, and was described by him (Gard. Chron., 1866, 
Pp. 922), being dedicated to Captain Dow, of the American Packet service, 
who brought it to England. 
C. D. aurea (T. Moore in Orchid Album, II., t. 84) was discovered by 
Gustav Wallis in 1868, near Frontino, in the State of Antioquia, while 
collecting in New Granada for M. J. Linden, of Brussels, and plants 
