336 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
found a Dendrobium there, closely allied to D. crumenatum, and a new 
Aérides, subsequently described by Professor Reichenbach as Aérides 
lepidum, in the Gardeners’ Chronicle of April 14, 1883. This Aérides, though 
very distinct, is near to Aérides Emericii, but not so good. 
Aérides Emericii was first described in the Gardeners’ Chronicle, in 1882, 
and subsequently figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. 6728; which plate, 
however, does not do it justice, as I have seen the plant growing in the 
jungle with sprays over two feet in length. This plant is found on almost 
every island in the Andamans, not being confined to the three larger islands, 
and much to my surprise I found it at the Great Coco, an island about fifty 
miles distant from the North Andaman. , 
In the Great Coco I also found the very rare variety of Rhynchostylis 
called by Professor Reichenbach, Saccolabium Berkeleyi. This plant is un- 
doubtedly distinct from its near allies, but after flowering it for several years 
in succession I have come to the conclusion that it is only an island form of 
Rhynchostylis retusa, and I do not consider the botanical difference sufli- 
cient to entitle the plant to a special name. There is, however, in this same 
group of islands (but not present in the Coco islands), and invariably found 
in all the islands small and large of the Andaman group, a lovely and quite 
distinct variety of Rhynchostylis, like the Burma variety Blumei but more 
elegant, which has one great thing to recommenzd it, as it is the earliest flower 
ing of its section, blooming quite three months before the mainland forms. 
There is no doubt that plants found in islands separated by long 
distances from the mainland have a tendency to considerable variation from 
their near allies, but this rule does not always hold good; in this case the 
two varieties of Rhynchostylis, one found at the great Coco, and the other 
throughout the Andamans, are quite distinct, and yet in the case of Aérides 
Emericii you have the same plant common to both groups of islands. | 
Another early flowering Saccolabium is also found in most of the 
Andaman islands, but more frequently on the small islands, and this plant 
is a variety of Saccolabium curvifolium, so common in Burma. The 
Andaman variety is, however, far superior in strength and habit, and the 
spikes are longer and quite different in colour; this being orange-scarlet 
like the variety of S. miniatum found in Java, and not the brick-red of the 
Burman form. j 
The whole of the plants from these islands are essentially tropical, 40 
all of them grow well in a stove temperature, but they do not like ae 
from evaporating troughs, the natural evaporation from damping i 
sufficient, and in the autumn I find that they gain something they pe 
from the evaporation of damp fallen oak leaves, which I always put 
the stages as soon as I can collect them. ; 
(To be continued.) 
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