Io THE ORCHID REVIEW. [JANUARY, I9Q1I. 
was exhibited at a meeting of the Manchester Orchid Society by S. Gratrix, 
Esq., and received an Award of Merit (/.c., p. 373). Shortly afterwards it 
leapt into notoriety. On December 13th, 1898, a well-bloomed plant was 
exhibited at a meeting of the R.H.S. by E. Ashworth, Esq., as C. i. Hare- 
field Hall var., and received both a First-class Certificate and a Cultural 
Commendation ((/.c., vi. p. 30), while First-class Certificates were given to 
it by the Manchester Orchid Society on three occasions, on February gth, 
1889, when exhibited by the late Mrs. Briggs-Bury (.c., p. go), on March 
gth, by O. O. Wrigley, Esq. (p. 121), and on April 13th, by S. Gratrix> 
Esq. (p. 152). Of late years it has been known almost exclusively under 
the latter name, and has been justly regarded as the premier form of this 
useful old species, the dorsal sepal being over three inches across in well- 
grown examples. The circumstances of its introduction do not appear to 
have been recorded, but it is said to have been cultivated at Harefield Hall 
since early in 1894. Presumably it came out of an importation of the 
so-called C. i. montanum. 
It appears to be known under two other names, for at a meeting of the 
Manchester Orchid Society held on December 3rd, 1908, the Committee 
unanimously decided that C. i. Francis Wellesley and C. i. Baron Schréder 
were identical with C. i. Harefield Hall var., and must be exhibited as 
such at the Society’s meetings (O.R., xvii. p. 23). The former had been 
exhibited at a meeting of the R.H.S. on December roth, 1907,. when 
opinion is said to have been divided as to whether it was C. i. Harefield 
Hall var. or distinct (Gard. Chron., 1907, ll. p. 419). It is, however, said 
to have come froma different impcrtation. C. i. Baron Schréder can be 
traced back to 1898, for on November roth it was exhibited by S. Gratrix, 
Esq., and received a First-class Certificate from the Manchester Orchid 
Society. Nothing is recorded as to its origin. 
This beautiful variety has been much used for hybridising, and has 
yielded a number of very fine hybrids, but, singularly enough, when self- 
fertilised at Westonbirt, the seedlings are said to have reverted to quite 
ordinary forms (O.R., xvi. p. 324). Our figure represents a plant in the 
collection of Lieut.-Col. Sir George L. Holford, Westonbirt (gr: Mr. H. 
G, Alexander), and is reproduced from an excellent photograph by Mr. E. 
T. Lamb, which is, necessarily, greatly reduced in size. 
Messrs. Sander wrote us in 1900 (O.R., viil., p. 15): “‘ C. insigne seems. 
to be distributed over a very wide area. We get it from Assam and Burma, 
and from many stations in the former province, especially the Khasia 
Hills. . . . There is always great difficulty in getting to know the exact 
locality of the different plants. Our collectors, of course, employ native 
labour, and many of these natives goa long distance for plants. We 
hope that further importations will throw more light on the question.” 
. 
oi Wea ae eet et aie ea ot la Be Sy a a BS fe 
