280 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
EPIDENDRUM OBLONGATUM. 
A VERY pretty Epidendrum has flowered two or three times in the collection 
of the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M.p., also a plant presented by 
him to Kew has now flowered in that establishment, and these, I believe, 
belong to the above imperfectly known species. E. oblongatum is a Cuban 
species, which was described and figured by A. Richard, in 1853, from dried 
specimens (F/. Cub. iii., p. 239, t. 80). The author remarked that it was 
very nearly allied to E. phceniceum, Lindl., except that the front lobe of 
the lip was considerably smaller. In 1848 a West Indian plant which 
flowered in the establishment of M. L. Van Houtte, at Ghent, was figured 
and described by Lemaire as E. phceniceum var. vanillosmum (FI. des Ser., 
t. 306), which seems to have the same essential character. Lindley, in his 
Folia Orchidacea, adopted Lemaire’s variety, but reduced E. Grahami, 
Hook. (Bot. Mag., t. 5885), a Mexican species which has been described in 
1842, to a synonym of it. A. Richard’s name was presumably not published 
in time for inclusion in the Folia, for it is not mentioned there, and both 
bear the date 1853 on the title-page. The Mexican plant, however, seems to 
represent a distinct species, and has rather long sepals and petals, suffused 
with dusky brown at the apex, a white lip veined with rose, and various 
technical differences. E. phceniceum is a well-known Cuban species, 
having vinous-purple sepals and petals, and the front lobe of the lip very 
large, undulate, and bright purple, with some darker veins on the disc. The 
remaining species, E. oblongatum, A. Rich., which, I believe, must include 
E. pheeniceum, var. vanillosmum, Lemaire, has the front lobe of the lip 
much smaller, and the words, “brunneo-vinosis,” used by A. Richard to 
describe the colour of the sepals and petals, are applicable to Lemaire’s 
figure. The colour of the lip is not described by the former, but the figure 
shows it as white with some deep purple stripes on the disc. The Kew 
plant has the sepals and petals suffused with reddish brown on a yellow 
ground, the acute side lobes of the lip light purple with darker veins, and 
the front lobe pale lilac with numerous purple nerves along the centre. 
Mr. Chamberlain’s plant has the sepals and petals deep yellow, and the 
nerves of the lip darker in colour, confluent into a blotch on the disc, which 
shows that there is a certain amount of variation in colour. The pseudo- 
bulbs are ovoid, oblong, rather small, and bear one or two oblong leaves, 
7 to 8 inches long by an inch broad, and the scapes are about 
14 feet high, and somewhat branched near the apex. The re-appearance 
of the species is interesting, and it may be added that there are several 
Cuban Epidendrums which are very imperfectly known, and that even the 
handsome E. phceniceum and E. replicatum seem to have been quite lost 
sight of in gardens. 
