154 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [May, 1906, 
sight of, but in 1900 a plant flowered at Kew, and since then it has flowered 
in other collections. It is allied to C. Devonianum, Paxt., though very 
distinct in most respects. The shape of the flowers is well shown in the 
figure, and their colour is yellowish green, densely spotted with blackish 
brown. It is also a native of Sumatra, for Curtis sent a dried specimen to 
Messrs. Veitch, and the habitat has since been confirmed by Micholitz, who 
obtained it in Central Sumatra, when collecting there recently for Messrs. 
Sander & Sons. The pendulous racemes are from six to twelve inches 
long, and bear from about eight to sixteen flowers. R. A. R. 
FUNGUS CO-OPERATION IN ORCHID ROOTS. 
Mr. J. M. Brack in his Calendar of Operations for April (p. 117) draws 
attention to this interesting subject, and makes many feasible remarks with 
regard to inoculation. 
In the Comptes Rendus for March 28, 1904, M. N. Bernard gives his 
experience in isolating, by pure cultures, an endophytic fungus capable of 
exciting germination in Orchid seeds, and a short account of this afterwards 
appeared in the Gardeners’ Chronicle of July 9, 1904, and also in the issue 
of April 24, 1906, with reference to the same observations, which have 
been reprinted in the new publication, Orchis. 
I have noticed in a pan of Odontoglossum seed that all the germinating 
seeds were connected by a fungus thread, and that under a high power 
microscope no fungus was visible on or near seeds which showed no sign 
of germination. It may be that the fungus has powers of growth or exist- 
ence only when in contact with assimilated matter or active life, and there- 
fore the inactive or unfertile seeds offer no attraction. 
But M. Bernard states that he has had seeds aseptically sown which 
did not show signs of germination until he had inoculated them with the 
hyphomycete in question. Is this fungus then really the cause of starting 
germination, or is it only a necessary help directly afterwards in affording 
nourishment to the small seedling by symbiotic means? Many of us know 
how easy it is to get seed to swell and become green, but it never advances 
beyond this first stage. Is this because the fungus is absent ? 
_ Professor Henslow, in his lecture of March 20th, stated that ‘‘ the fungus 
is at first antagonistic to the advance of germination, but that afterwards 
the germinating seed falls upon it and devours it.” Probably with this 
extra nourishment the seedling is enabled to make rapid headway until 
roots are formed and it leads a separate life. A striking analogy is noticed 
between this and the Fission Fungi, or Bacteria, in connection with the 
leguminous plants, for these at first live on the host, and, while so doing, 
store up a quantity of nitrogenous food in the root tubercles, but the plant | 
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