262 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [Aucust, 1913, 
SCHOMBURGKIA THOMSONIANA. 
A PLANT of this striking Schomburgkia, that was recently sent from the 
‘Grand Cayman Islands, West Indies, by Mr. T. M. Savage English, has 
just flowered at Kew, producing a panicle of light yellow flowers with the 
front lobe of the lip very dark purple. Two dried flowers were also sent, 
with the following interesting note :— 
“‘T do not think that there is more than one species here, but it is most 
variable in size and colour. It may have a spike a few inches long with 
itwo flowers, or even one, or the spike may be as long as six feet six inches 
‘with fifty-eight flowers. This is the largest I have found, and the bulb 
had five leaves. Its colours may be white, cream, lemon, orange, lilac, or 
-dull pink mixed with yellow (like some tea roses), with the lip ranging from 
comparatively pale purple to almost black. It is scented in the morning 
-only—like lilac—though many plants have scentless flowers, and this seems 
to have no reference to their colour. The plant is very common here. I 
enclose two flowers, the larger white and the other lemon.” 
This throws a somewhat new light on the history of the species, which 
has already been given in detail (O.R., ix. pp. 325, 326). It was originally 
described by Reichenbach in 1886, at which time nothing was stated about 
‘its habit, though two years later a Schomburgkia collected by Mr. W. 
Fawcett, F.L.S., in the Cayman Islands was sent to Kew and identified 
with S. Thomsoniana. A living plant was also sent, which afterwards 
flowered and was figured in the Botanical M agazine (t. 7815). In the mean- 
‘time materials were collected by Dr. Strachan, who distinguished two 
varieties, albopurpurea and minor, the former apparently agreeing with the 
original type. Both were found in Grand Cayman, but Dr. Strachan only 
collected the variety minor in Cayman Brac, a small group of islets about 
100 miles distant from Grand Cayman, where also Mr. Fawcett’s plants, 
-corresponding to the variety minor, were obtained. The living plant sent 
by Mr. English belongs here, and agrees well with the one figured except 
in having paler yellow sepals and petals. 
The significance of this remarkable variation in Grand Cayman remains 
‘to be explained. Such a condition of things is parallelled among hybrids, 
-and it may be that here the two forms, considered distinct, by Dr. Strachan, 
both in colour and size, hybridise together. Further observations would 
be interesting, especially as to whether the larger form is absent from 
“Cayman Brac, and what variations occur there. In Grand Cayman Dr. 
Strachan remarked that the larger variety was the most abundant, and he 
»makes no mention of any other variation. 
S. Thomsoniana is allied to S. tibicinis, Batem., but has smaller and 
-usually more numerous flowers, of different colour. 
R.A.R. 
