138 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
to the very airy position in which they grow, so that the great moisture 
caused by the heavy rain dries up quickly. 
It is true that during the dry months, January, February, and March, 
the plants get much dried by exposure to the hot sun, and often lose their 
leaves, especially on the old stems, but the new growths continue to develop, 
nourished by the night dews, which in the neighbourhood of the sea are very 
heavy. 
The season of rest this Orchid enjoys is very short, at most two months, 
January and February, and hence the difficulty we find in dealing with it in 
our glass-houses in England. It must also be remembered that this plant 
grows throughout the year, not only in a very hot atmosphere, but in a bright 
clear air, invariably charged with moisture. 
Dendrobium formosum is widely distributed from the Khasia Hills down 
to Tavoy, but it is principally at Amherst, and along the coast between that 
place and Tavoy, that the variety grandiflorum is found. 
Although the flowers of the Moulmein variety, the one that now invari- 
ably comes home, are larger than those of any other variety, they are not so 
perfect in shape as some of the more northern forms, which have smaller 
flowers. 
For perfection of form, however, the variety found in the Andamans is 
much the best. This plant, sent home by me for the first time about 1881, 
was described by the late Prof. Reichenbach in the Gardeners’ Chronicle as 
variety Berkeleyi. I first found this fine variety in great abundance at 
Casuarina Bay, South Andaman. The shape of the flower is more like 
that of D. infundibulum, the sepals and petals being in a perfect whorl and 
not with lax petals, as in the common Moulmein plant. This perfection of 
form adds great beauty to the plant, which is also distinguished by the 
exceedingly rich colour in the throat, at the base of the lip, which varies 
from rich orange to the brightest red. This variety is widely distributed 
throughout the group of islands composing the Andamans, and appears to 
like the sea air, as I have frequently found it growing on mangrove trees on 
the sea coast, unapproachable at high tide. 
Growing with Dendrobium formosum in the neighbourhood of Moul- 
mein, I also found, on several occasions, D. revolutum, another of the Nigro- 
hirsute group. This plant is rather like D. formosum in habit, but the 
internodes of the stem are much shorter and more swollen, and the flowers 
light buff and very flat. Growing on the same trees as D. formosum, this 
plant requires similar treatment. It is worth growing, as it is extremely 
distinct. This plant is also reported as growing in the Straits Settlements, 
but Mr. Ridley informs me that this is a mistake. It is not included in the 
list of Moulmein Dendrobiums in Vettch’s Manual, but I never found it 
growing anywhere else but in the neighbourhood of Moulmein. 
(To be continued.) 
