THE ORCHID REVIEW. 267 
NOTICE OF BOOK. 
Le Livres des Orchidées. Par le Comte O. de Kerchove de Denterghem, 
Président de la Société Royal d’Agriculture et de Botanique, a 
Gand. Large 8vo., pp. 601, with 310 woodcuts and 31 chromolitho- 
graphs. Gand, Ad. Hoste, 47, Rue des Champs. Paris, G. Masson, 
120, Boulevard St. Germain. 
We have recently had occasion to review several cultural works on 
Orchids, and now we have before us one written from a more general stand- 
point, from the pen of Comte Oswald de Kerchove, author of a well-known 
work on Palms. The author’s object, as set forth in the preface, is to give 
to lovers of these beautiful plants a summary of the present state of our 
knowledge respecting them. ‘The result is a very interesting volume of six 
hundred pages, in which a large number of facts are brought together in 
compact form, and on the whole very well arranged, though its value is 
largely detracted from by an unnecessarily large number of errors. The 
work commences with a short general Introduction, in which various 
‘matters, ancient and modern, are discussed, and here we note one or two 
details which are incorrect. The first exotic Orchids introduced to Europe 
are said to have been Phaius grandifolius and Cymbidium ensifolium, sent 
in 1780 by Dr. John Fothergill. But Bletia verecunda flowered nearly half 
a century before this, while 1788 is recorded as the date of introduction of 
Phaius grandifolius. Again, Allan Cunningham is said to have introduced 
and described the first Australian Orchids in 1823, though Dendrobium 
speciosum was introduced in 1801, by Sir Joseph Banks, while in 1807 no 
less than six others appeared, all of which facts have recently been pointed 
out in our columns. Oncidium ensifolium is evidently a slip for O. bifolium. 
The work is divided into three parts—Structure and Organisation, Utility 
and Geographical Distribution, and Culture, Friends and Enemies. The 
classification adopted is that of Prof. Pfitzer, which, however, the author 
thinks does not represent their line of descent, though he remarks that all 
the systems of classification yet proposed are artificial. The great faults of 
this system are, that it is based almost entirely upon the vegetative organs, 
and brings together plants which have no genetic affinity, while separating 
other obviously allied ones ; that it revives various so-called genera whose 
claims have long ago been exploded, and makes other new ones which have 
not a leg to stand upon—witness Limatodes, Prepanthe, Aporum, Eulophi- 
dium, Macromitrium, Paphiopedilum, and others. One result of the adoption 
of this system is the perpetuation of a host of names which are worse than 
useless, and the imposition of others of equal value, of which Limato- 
preptanthe bella, Phajopreptanthe aurora and Phajolimatopreptanthe Seden- 
iana furnish excellent examples, to say nothing of over four hundred new 
names for hybrid Cypripediums and Selenipediums, here referred to Paphio- 
