THE ORCHID REVIEW. 295 
MILTONIA SPECTABILIS AND ITS 
VARIETIES. 
THE well-known Miltonia spectabilis and its varieties are among the most 
beautiful Orchids which flower at this particular season, and as we have 
received a series of blooms from three different sources, a few notes on the 
subject will be of interest. The collections named are those of E. H. 
Woodall, Esq., of Scarborough; R. Young, Esq., of Liverpool; and 
Archdeacon Rawstone, Balderton Grange, Blackburn. 
Miltonia_ spectabilis was originally sent from Brazil in 1835 to the 
Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society, by a Mr. Fry, but is said 
to have first flowered in this country in the celebrated nursery of Messrs. 
Loddiges, at Hackney, in 1837, and shortly afterwards with Mr. George 
Barker, at Birmingham. The genus Miltonia was established for its 
reception by Lindley (Bot. Reg., xxiii., sub. t. 1976), and a month later 
Messrs. Knowles & Westcott, unfortunately, also described it, under the 
name of Macrochilus Fryanus (FI. Cab., i., p. 93, t- 45), their name having 
to take rank asa synonym. This typical form is characterised by having 
white sepals and petals, and a vinous purple lip, the latter shading off into 
rosy lilac at the margin, and having the nerves of a deeper colour towards 
the base. 
Some ten or twelve years later, a most remarkable variety appeared, 
with the sepals and petals deep plum-purple in colour, and the lip bright 
rose-purple, with darker nerves, especially towards the base. In 1849 this 
was figured in the Botanical Magazine (t. 4425) as variety purpureo-violacea, 
without any account of its origin, and in 1851 it was described and figured 
as variety Moreliana (Henfrey Gard. Mag., iii., p. 41, with plate). It then 
appeared that it was sent to M. Morel, of St. Mandé, near Paris, in 1846, 
by his Brazilian correspondent, M. Porte. Although so remarkably 
different in colour it is indistinguishable in other respects. 
M. s. atrorubens (Orchid Review, ii., p. 350) is closely allied to the 
preceding, but has darker sepals and petals, which almost approach blackish- 
purple in tint. It is also known as M. s. Moreliana atrorubens (Will. Orch. 
Gr. Man., ed. 5, p.- 414) and M. s. M. atropurpurea (Gard. Mag., 1894, ii., 
p- 617, with fig). 
M. s. radians has the lip pure white, with the exception of a number of 
broad crimson-purple radiating lines at the base. The sepals and petals 
are pure white. It flowered in the collection of Senator Jenisch, of 
Hamburg, probably in the autumn of 1855, and was described shortly 
afterwards (Rchb. f. Xen. Orch., i. p. 130). It is well figured in the Orchid 
Album (iv. t. 164). The form sent by Mr. Woodall has narrower radiating 
lines, but even in the case of varieties a little latitude must be allowed. A 
form appeared in the collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., Burford, 
