THE ORCHID REVIEW. 311 
LAELIO-CATTLEYA x LEEANA. 
A Most interesting plant has just flowered in the collection of the Right 
Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M.p., which I feared had been completely lost 
sight of, namely the natural hybrid, Lelia x Leeana, Rchb. f. Altogether 
I transferred it to Lelio-cattleya many years ago, the absence of a flower 
and some doubt about its actual parentage prevented its history being 
cleared up until now. It was described by Reichenbach in 1882 (Gard. 
Chron., 1882, xvii, p. 492), as follows :— 
“ Laria X LEEANA, n.hybr. (?).—A fine thing. At first sight I thought 
of Lelia and Cattleya Dormaniana; but both the short rather tumid 
_ furrowed shining bulb, and the flat spreading flower colours suggested 
Cattleya superba, while the column top made me think of Lelia pumila. 
As to the perfume, which is rather powerful in Cattleya superba, I cannot 
speak about it in this novelty, the weather being very cold, and the perfume 
of flowers being subject to changes from time of the day, age of the flower, 
and individuality. My flower is rather scentless. I have no experience, 
however, of the two mentioned species growing together, and if any of the 
readers of these columns could give some evidence about this, it might 
prove very useful. The stellate rather narrow sepals and petals are ofa fine 
rose colour, as in a very fine Cattleya Harrisoniana. The lip is of the 
purest white, the tips of the lateral lacinie, which lie on the broad obcordate 
middle lacinia, are of the finest and warmest purple. There are veins of the 
same colour running forwards under acute angles on both sides of the 
middle line between the lateral lacinia, but they do not extend far. The 
column has purple ears, a fine purple border to the stigmatic hollow, and a 
like more pallid wash at the inner base. Pollinia four, with an emarginate 
back, showing two bodies cohering, and the candicula cohering on bot 
sides. Though it is said to have lost its original beauty, after having 
flowered nearly three weeks, I am very satisfied with it, and think it a 
novelty. The piéce de resistance, indeed, is the lip. I feel very pleased to 
inscribe the plant to one of the most excellent Orchidists of our era, the 
lucky possessor, Mr. W. Lee, Downside, Leatherhead. May this gentle- 
men never be infected by that abominable contagious disease, the Orchido- 
phobia.” 
It is interesting to be able to clear up these doubtful points. The present 
flower agrees well with the description except that the side lobes are not 
white, but outside of nearly the same rosy shade as the sepals and petals, 
nor should I describe the flower as stellate, seeing that the petals are four- 
teen lines broad. But why Reichenbach should have invoked the aid of 
Cattleya superba, which does not grow in the same district as Lelia pumila, 
to explain the origin of his plant is not clear, especially as a plant which 
