276 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
flowered in the collection of Herr Reichenheim, of Berlin, in the previous 
winter. It was compared with Lelia pumila, but was considered distinct 
on account of its large flowers, broad petals, and the broader more curved 
and fleshy tube of the lip, which was yellow inside. It came from the 
province of Santa Catherina, South Brazil. Two years later a plant 
appeared in the collection of Mr. John Day, at Tottenham, about which 
Lindley contributed an account to the Gardeners’ Chronicle, stating that it 
was purchased at Stevens’ Rooms among Cattleya marginata. The flower 
was four inches in diameter. 
In 1859 a plant was figured by Lemaire in the I/lustration Horticle under 
the name of Cattleya pumila major, which Reichenbach afterwards claimed 
as belonging to Lelia prestans. This had been sent by M. Pinel to M. 
Ambrose Verschaffelt in 1855, also under the name of Cattleya marginata. 
It was figured as a fine variety of the type. 
In 1877 a still larger and very handsome form appeared in the collection 
of M. Massange de Louvrex, which was figured in the Belgique Horticole in 
the following year as Leelia pumila var. mirabilis. It is much like an 
enlarged form of the one previously mentioned. 
There is a very beautiful white variety known as L. preestans alba, which 
appeared in the establishment of Mr. W. Bull, of Chelsea, and received a 
First-class Certificate on October 8th, 1889. It may also be remarked that 
a similar award was given to L. prestans typical on November 5th, 1867, 
and to L. pumila on June 2nd, 1869, both the plants being exhibited by 
Messrs. James Veitch & Sons. 
How far Lelia prestans can be distinguished from L. pumila is doubtful. 
Messrs. Veitch, who reduce it to the rank of a variety, distinguish it by the 
“lip ‘Straight, as in the type, convolute side lobes over-lapping at their 
THATS VETY’ stiff in texture, so that they cannot be spread out without 
splitting ; lines of the disc almost obsolete ; disc orange-yellow.” These 
differences were relied upon by Reichenbach to separate it as a distinct 
Species, but from an examination of a series of forms it is evident that they 
cannot be relied upon absolutely. For example, the two last figures cited 
below under Cattleya marginata have the disc yellow, as has also the form 
figured as Cattleya spectabilis, while Cattleya pumila major, which was 
claimed by Reichenbach as Lelia prestans, has a pale disc, while forms in 
which the throat was purple, like the rest of the lip, have been recorded on 
more than one occasion. And the character derived from the shape and 
texture of the lip seems equally variable. It will also have been observ! 
that the original plants came home as Cattleya marginata, and were only 
Picked out when they flowered, all of which facts go to show that Lalia 
pumila is very variable, and that prestans is simply a fine form of the same, 
which passes by easy stages into the type. 
