THE ORCHID REVIEW. 165 
ground, as in one of the forms sent. When drying the species smells almost 
like new-mown hay. It is only found on chalk or limestone soils, and 
refuses to grow elsewhere. It was formerly reported from Berkshire, Surrey, 
Sussex, Middlesex, and even from. Lincolnshire. The latter is probably an 
error, but there are good reasons for believing that years ago it grew in 
chalky soils much nearer to London than now, for we have seen authentic 
specimens from Box. Hill, Surrey, gathered in 1842, and from Berkshire 
early in the present century. On the continent it is widely diffused, from 
France to Italy, Greece and Asia. Minor, and northwards to Central Russia 
and Denmark, being common in various localities on chalk or limestone 
soil. It is sometimes confused with O. militaris, L., but is readily separated 
by the dusky sepals and petals, and the much broader front lobes of the lip: ' 
CYCNOCHES LODDIGESII. 
For a very long period this remarkable species, the original one of the 
genus; has been excessively rare in gardens, if not actually lost to cultiva- 
tion ; it is therefore an interesting matter to be able to record that during 
last month a plant at-Kew produced a four-flowered-raceme. The flowers, 
however, were not nearly equal in size and colour to those cultivated half a 
century ago; possibly because the plant is weak and not fully established— 
indeed, strong plants produce as many as six'to eleven’ flowers, and possibly 
more. The genus was described by Dr. Lindley in 1832, from a single 
flower communicated by Messrs. Loddiges, of Hackney, the name being 
given in allusion to the column of_the flower, which is long and gracefully 
curved, like the neck of aswan. It is a native of the woods of Surinam, 
and was sent in 1830 by Mr. J. H. Lance to Messrs. Loddiges, with whom 
_ it flowered in May, 1832, and again during the winter. The flowers are as 
large as those of C. chlorochilon, thé sepals and petals olive-green, more or 
less barred with brown, and the lip whitish with numerous reddish-brown 
Spots. - They exhale a powerful V anilla-like perfume in the morning, soon 
after the flowers expand. - Other plants were afterwards sent by Mr. Lance 
to the Horticultural Society, where they flowered, as well as in some der 
eons. 
It had not been in cultivation long before a remarkable freak was 
cea, as. will be seen by the following note by Dr. Lindley = “In 
August, -1836, -Mr. Willmer, of Oldfield, near Birmingham, sent me a 
Specimen of a Cycnoches, which had broad petals, a- -short column, hooded 
and dilated at the apex, and a broad roundish lip, gibbous at the base, and 
With its stalk much shorter than the column. It was, however, destitute 
of scent, while Cycnoches Loddigesii has, as is well-known, a delicious 
_ odour of Vanilla. -I had no doubt-of its being a distinet species, and called 
