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CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



violet ; the tips and lower edges of the lateral sepals 

 pale yellow ; lip ovate, hastate, the edges recurved, 

 orange-yellow ; the disk furnished with numerous 

 ^aised plates ; column hooded, deep purple. Summer 

 and autumn months. New Grenada. 



B. Patinii. — A less robust plant than the preced- 

 ing; leaves lanceolate-acuminate and deep green; 

 peduncle pendulous, one-flowered ; sepals and petals 

 all spreading, the lateral sepals much the larger, 

 light blue, with pale yellow tips; lip furnished with 

 numerous raised plates on the disk, yellow ; thi^oat 

 deep blue; column hooded. ' Simimer montns. New 

 Grenada. 



Brassavola. — This genus commemorates Antonio 

 Musa Brassavola, a Venetian nobleman and botanist, 

 [t is characterised by the sepals and petals being 

 about equal in size and free. The lip is entire, 

 hooded, and encloses the column ; column clavate, 

 and eaied in front ; pollen masses, eight. 



The species comprising this family are not first 

 favourites with Orchid-growers, probably on account 

 of their want of colour ; and as they get much neg- 

 lected, they have not bloomed freely. Brassavolas 

 are found in the tropics of America only, and do not 

 like cold treatment. They thrive best on blocks of 

 wood, and enjoy an abundant supply of water when 

 growing. Most of the species are fragrant. Bra- 

 zilian House. 



B. acaulis. — A dwarf plant with straight, terete, 

 dark green leaves, and little or no stem; flowers 

 solitary, very large, white, freckled with rose ; sepals 

 and petals linear-acuminate, about equal ; lip large, 

 cucullate. Summer months. Central America. 



B. cucullata. — This species has long and slender 

 terete leaves, from the base of which the long 

 peduncle springs, bearing a single large and hand- 

 some pure white flower; sepals and petals about 

 equal, long and strap-shaped; lip cordate-acuminate, 

 lengthened out into a tail-like point, and fringed 

 round the edges. Summer months. West Indies. 



B. Lighjana (or, more correctly, Lcelia Bighyana). — 

 In habit this plant resembles a Cattleya or Lcelia, with 

 its erect pseudo-bulbs and single, thick, fleshy leaf, 

 which is light green and very glaucous; flowers 

 solitary ; very large sepals and petals, strap-shaped, 

 creamy- white ; lip large and spreading, the sides 

 forming a hood over the column, white, deeply fringed 

 round the edges. Winter months. Honduras 



Other species of Brassavola are glauca, Martiana, 

 Cfispidata, lineata, venosa, &c. &c., all of which have 

 white or greenish- white flowers. 



Brassia. — This genus, named in honour of Mr. 

 .Brass, a plant collector, contains some twenty or 

 thirty species and varieties. It is extremely near 



Oneidium, from which it is only distinguishable by 

 its very short earless column, and entire bilamellate 

 lip, and by the elongated lateral sepals. In Oneidium 

 the inflorescence is usually branched, but in Brassia 

 it is invariably simple, with the flowers arranged in 

 a two-ranked manner. 



In the earlier days of Orchid culture an;ything 

 belonging to this order was considered a great 

 rarity and curiosity, and in those days Brassias 

 found great favour in the eyes of gardeners and 

 amateurs. Now, however, that the number of species 

 have so largely increased, it has become absolutely 

 necessary to discard some of the less showy kinds, 

 and many of the members of this genus have been 

 put on one side. There are, however, some few 

 species with their quaint and weird-like forms, 

 combined with their peculiar coloui's, which are 

 well deserving of a place in every collection. 



Brassias may be grown in either pots or baskets. 

 We prefer the former, as they are robust and Dold- 

 growing plants, and require more water than can 

 conveniently be given them under other treatment. 

 Pot in rough peat fibre and sphagnum moss. 



One or two species of Brassia {B. cinnamomea and 

 B. glmnacea) are found at considerable elevations 

 growing with Odontoglossums, &c. ; the others are all 

 from warmer localities, and should therefore be 

 growTi in the- Bi-aziUan House. 



B. hr adnata. — This, although not a gay-coloured 

 flower, is very remarkable for its long tail-like 

 sepals, which often measure twelve inches from the 

 l)oint of the dorsal to the end of the lateral ones. 

 Pseudo-bulbs, oblong, compressed, bearing two short, 

 obtuse leaves ; raceme many-flowered ; sepals and 

 petals linear-acuminate, the latter much elongated, 

 pale green, richly spotted with brown ; lip large, 

 heart-shaped in the upper part, and furnished with 

 several smooth thin plates. Winter months. Guate- 

 mala. 



B. caudata.—Aa its name implies, this species has 

 the sepals lengthened out into very long tail-like 

 appendages, whilst the petals are short, not longer 

 than the lip, which is ovate, oblong, subulate, and 

 slightly hairy towards the base ; colour tawny- 

 yellow, profusely blotched with brown. June and 

 July. West Indies. 



B. Lanceana. — In this species the lateral sepals 

 are not so much elongated ; the flowers are bright 

 yellow, spotted and blotched with brown, and sweet- 

 scented. B. Lanceana and its varieties are nearly 

 allied to B. caudata, but the sharp awl-like termina- 

 tion of the lip is entirely absent. Spring and early 

 summer. Surinam. 



B. Lanceana, var. mncrostachya. — The flowers of 

 this variety are much larger than the type, lateral 

 sepals are pointed, and five inches long, sometimes 



