OKCHIDS. 



375 



this very lovely species will be cultivated by many 

 fern-lovers ; it as yet seems to be very far from 

 common, as only three or four years ago a specimen 

 which had been grown in the open air in Surrey 

 was awarded a first-class certificate at one of the 

 meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society. 



ORCHIDS. 



By WiLLiAii Hugh Gowek. 



Cyrtopodium. — A small family of strong- 

 growing terrestrial plants, producing long fleshy 

 St. -in-like pS'Miflo-lmlb.s, wliicli boar large plaited 

 j;.' :::'.'i:.i:ivu- L.UVC-. aud erect panicles of remarkably 

 showy liowors. 



ITiese plants are of easy cidtm-e. and should be 

 p»otted in about equal parts of loam, peat, and well- 

 decomposed cow-manure : during the growing season 

 they requii-e an abundant supply of water, but when 

 the pseudo-bulbs are matuiu ^ery little water is 

 necessary, and a lower temperature is requisite : 

 when the young growth commences they should be 

 -at once removed into a little more heat, and a liberal 

 supply of water ag;iin l^e given them, as the scape 

 lises with the growth, and if negleettd at this period 

 tiie flowers will hv deformed. 



C. Aitdcrsoiiii. — Pseudo-bidbs stout, thick, and 

 fleshy, fusiform in shape, attaining a height of fom- 

 to five feet : leaA"e> plicate, membranous, large, and 

 spreading : panick^ large, bearing a profusion of 

 flowers of a imitorm rieli yellow. Spring months. 

 Brazil. 



C. pioictatHiii. — This species resembles the pre- 

 ceding in habit : it is, however, a much dwarfer 

 plant, and produces its flowers more freely : the 

 sepals are tawny-yellow, blotched and spotted T\ith 

 red : petals rich clear yellow : lip yellow in front : 

 the incurved side lobes crimson : an additional adorn- 

 ment is also found in a large laaet at the base of 

 each flower, the same colour as the sepal. Spring 

 months. Brazil. 



Dendrobium. — This is a very large genus, and 

 contains an immense number of species and varieties 

 of a liighlj' ornamental character. Xumerous as the 

 species are, however, the liybridiser has been busy 

 with them, and produced many new forais equalling 

 or even sm-passing anything we have yet seen in the 

 wild plants for individual beauty. 



Dendrobiums belong to the Eastern Hemisphere, 

 the majority being natives of India : a great nimibor 

 of them are also to be found in the Indian Islands, 

 some few even extending to Australia, and one out- 

 lying member is a native of Xew Zealand. The 

 word Dendrobium is of Greek origin, r;nd signi- 



fies '-living upon a tree" — thus, dendron, "a tree," 

 and bio.s, '• life."' As a genus it is distinguished by 

 its two-celled anther, with four pollen masses, which 

 have no caudicle or separate stigmatic gland, and arc 

 of uniform breadth at the end. 



The ^•al•ious members of this genus are very dis- 

 similar in habit of growth, although in the shape of 

 the flower they all bear a close resemblance. Some 

 species form terete stem-like pseudo-bulbs, varying 

 from a few inches to several feet in height ; some 

 cast their leaves and become deciduous in the rest- 

 ing season, whilst others have stout angular stems, 

 producing thick leathery leaves, wliich arc persistent. 

 ]Many of the kinds which produce long teiete 

 pseudo-bulbs are pendent in habit, and these require 

 to be grown on a block of wood or in a hanging 

 basket, in order to display their charms to the best 

 advantage. As a rule Dendrobiums are not difli- 

 cult to cultivate, but as their habit of growth is 

 so different, difl:erent methods must be adopted to 

 promote vigorous growth and to maintain them in 

 health. 



It may be accepted as a rule that Dendrobiums 

 enjoy a decided period of rest, although, as we have 

 previously remarked when treating upon other 

 genera, the drying ofi: must not be carried to such 

 an extent as to cause the growths to shrivel : the 

 leaves of the deciduous kinds will of course tuin 

 yellow and fall off, but if this occurs with such 

 species as de/isi^ffor/au and Fa rhirrll, it is a proof that 

 the drying oii has been carried to excess, and the 

 health of the plant is sure to suffer in consequence. 



Dendrobiums, whether in pots or baskets, should 

 have a compost consisting of half fibrous peat and half 

 Sphagnum moss ; the drainage must be good, and the 

 soil should be pressed down firmly. In the case of 

 those species which thrive best upon a block of wood 

 Sphagnum only must be used. They enjoy a copious 

 supply of water during the growing season, and also 

 frequent showers from the syringe, but during the 

 resting period little or none will be requirel : at 

 this time also they shoidd be placed in a lower 

 temperature than that in which they have been 

 grown. 



AlLiiough many of the species are natives of 

 Xorthern India, they enjoy a high temperature and 

 an atmosphere well charged with moistm-e when 

 growing, but they require care and attention to 

 finish them off in a cooler temperature. East Indian 

 House. 



I). alho-sanfiHUiCum.— Pseudo-bulbs thick, erect, 

 nine to twelve inches high : flowers two to three, 

 nodding, and three to foiu- inches in diameter ; sepals 

 linear-lanceolate, creamy -white : petals oblong, in- 

 curved, twice as broad as the sepals, creamy-white 

 with a few reddish-pm-ple streaks at the base ; lip 



