OKCHIDS. 



23 



and alDout an inch long. It thrives well with Odonto- 

 glossums and Masdevallias. Winter and early spring 

 months. 



It is a native of the province of Pamplona, in 

 New Grenada, growing in the mountains at an 

 elevation of 8,500 feet. Peruvian House. 



Aerides. — From aer^ the air, in reference to the 

 epiphytal hahit of the plants. They are epiphytes 

 with mostly simple rooting stems, and two-ranked or 

 distichous, coriaceous, somewhat fleshy leaves, and 

 long racemes of showy flowers; sepals spreading, 

 the lateral ones oblique at the base, and connate 

 with the prolonged foot of the column ; lip con- 

 tinuous with the colimm, spurred and thiee-lobed ; 

 column recumbent on the ovary, short, wingless ; 

 pollen masses two, obliquely two-lobed behind. 



This genus contains very many of the finest 

 members of the order, their symmetrical growth 

 rendering them extremely ornamental, even when 

 not in flower. They are all natives of the tropics of 

 the Old World, and thrive well under cultivation 

 either in pots or baskets. For the smaller-growing 

 kinds blocks of wood may be used, but extra care is 

 required to keep the atmosphere sufEciently moist 

 when this system is adopted. 



The wooden baskets formerly used for the recep- 

 tion of plants of this order have now to a great 

 extent lost favour, on account of the rapidity of 

 their decay. Consequently, perforated pots and 

 pans are now more common. These should be well 

 drained with charcoal, and the plants secured in posi- 

 tion with sweet and living Sphagnum. During the 

 growing season supply abundantly with water, 

 both to the roots and overhead with the syringe 

 in the form of falling spray, and not with all the 

 force possible to use, as is too frequently the case. 



When the season's growth is complete, do not 

 withhold water entirely. It is quite necessary to 

 keep the atmosphere much drier during winter, but 

 the object being to maintain the plants in as fine a 

 condition as possible, the resting system must be 

 carried out in a careful manner. Aerides are some- 

 times dried up in the winter until their leaves 

 shrivel. This will cause many of them to fall off, 

 and the plant is permanently disfigured and reduced 

 in value. It behoves the cultivator, therefore, to 

 watch carefully, and never allow shrivelling. Our 

 experience goes to prove that lowering the tem- 

 perature a few degrees is of greater benefit to the 

 plants than a severe drying, and equally efficacious 

 in producing flowers. 



The blooms of Aerides will last many weeks in 

 perfection with ordinary care. By this we mean 

 that water must on no account be allowed to touch 

 them, but it should not be entirely withheld from 



the plant. When the plants are in bloom, they 

 should be removed to a rather cooler and drier 

 atmosphere than that of the gi owing-house. 



Aerides are sometimes infested with a small scale. 

 When these appear, carefully remove them with a 

 sponge and soft-soap and wai-m water. The red- 

 thrip sometimes attacks them in the heart of the 

 young growth, and if neglected, will soon disfigure 

 them. This, however, may soon be exterminated by 

 dusting with tobacco-powder. East Indian House. 



A. ciffine. — This is a very elegant species. Leaves 

 truncate at the apex, sometimes toothed, about a 

 foot long, and bright green ; racemes somewhat 

 stiff, many-flowered, dense ; flowers pink and white, 

 spotted with rose ; sepals and petals about equal, 

 rounded at the apex ; lip rhomboid, acute, and some- 

 what three-lobed ; spur short and conical. There 

 are numerous varieties of this species, which are 

 more or less strongly marked, and in some the 

 racemes are much branched. May and Jime. Sylhet 

 and Nepaul. 



A. ajfine, var. roseum. — An exceedingly fine form of 

 the species ; it is more robust in habit of growth, 

 and produces a very long, much-branched, and dense 

 raceme; flowers deep rose, profusely spotted with 

 purple. May and June. Sylhet. 



A. crispum. — A charming species ; the leaves are 

 flat, broad, oblique, and obtusely two-lobed at the 

 apex, about five inches long and very deep green, 

 the sheathing base being purplish-black ; racemes 

 erect, many-flowered, nine to twelve inches long ; 

 flowers very large, one to two inches in diameter, 

 waxy-white, tinged with rose ; lip purplish-rose ; 

 upper sepal and petals equal, ovate, acute, lateral 

 sepals larger and blunt-pointed ; lip ovate ; lateral 

 lobes small and erect ; middle lobe large, notched in 

 front, having two teeth at the base and an incurved 

 spur. May and June. Bombay. 



A. crassifolium. — A very fine and still rare 

 species ; the leaves are set very close, thick and 

 fleshy, about eight inches long, and bluntly two- 

 lobed at the apex ; raceme twice as long as the 

 leaves, many -flowered ; flowers large, white and 

 rich purplish-rose. As a species it is allied to A. 

 falcatum, but differs from that plant in having a 

 bent spur to the lip, the side lobes of which are 

 much larger. May and June. Moulmein. 



A. falcatum. — Although an old inhabitant of our 

 gardens, this species is still far from plentiful. The 

 leaves are coriaceous, obtuse, and mucronate at the 

 apex, some ten inches in length, and deep gTcen, 

 with a peculiar bloom upon the surface ; racemes 

 pendulous, many-flowered, dense ; sepals and petals 

 white, speckled with crimson at the points ; lip 

 crimson in the middle, and white barred with rose at 

 the edge ; lateral lobes of lip falcate ; middle one 



