152 



CASSELL'S POPULAE GARDENING. 



comes from ion, " a Violet," and opsis, " like," from 

 the flowers resembling a Violet in shape. Thej-- are 

 quite destitute of stems, and have very small 

 pseudo bulbs, consequently they require to be kept 

 fairly moist all the year round. lonopsis should be 

 fastened to good-sized blocks of wood, with a little 

 sphagnum moss roimd them, but as the roots are 

 thin and very wiry, they do not like to be confined. 

 The cool end of the Brazilian House. 



/. paniculata. — This is one of the largest of the 

 genus, and a profuse 

 bloomer ; indeed the 

 whole family are so 

 prolific, and continue 

 in full beauty such a 

 long time, that they 

 often entirely exhaust 

 themselves. Pseudo- 

 bulbs very small, in- 

 deed scarcely percep- 

 tible, bearing erect, 

 linear-lanceolate, co- 

 riaceous leaves, some 

 four inches long, of 

 a rich bronzy hue, 

 changing with age to 

 dark green. Scape 

 much branched, up- 

 wards of a foot long, 

 producing 60 to 100 of 

 its beautiful flowers. 

 Sepals and petals small, 

 white ; lip large and 

 broad, deeply bi-lobed 

 in front, pure white, 

 with a beautiful purple 

 blotch at the base. In 

 some forms the flowers 

 are stained with yel- 

 low, and rose, but the 

 sepals and petals are 



usually white. Autumn and winter months, and 

 frequently again in spring. St. Paul's, Brazil, and 

 Para. 



I. tenera, a small but elegant plant, with rigid, 

 sharp-pointed leaves, which are carinate and deep 

 green. Scape branched, many-flowered. Sepals 

 and petals equal, pure white. Lip large, bi-lobed in 

 front, downy- white, with a delicate blotch of pink 

 at the base. Summer mouths. Cuba, at considerable 

 elevations. 



I. tenera, var. violacea. — This plant differs only in 

 producing very dense panicles of flowers, which are 

 of a rich deep purplish- violet. Summer months. 

 Cuba. 



/. tenera, var. zonalis. — In this variety the panicle 



HUNTLEYA CERINA 



is more lax than the preceding, and the flowers are 

 light pink, with a limate band of rosy-purple at the 

 base. Spring and early summer. Brazil. 



I. utricularioides. — The leaves of this species are 

 oblong - acute, with a sharp keel at the back, and 

 dark green. Scape short, sparingly branched, bear- 

 ing numerous, somewhat small flowers. Sepals and 

 petals nearly equal, the former acute, and the latter 

 obtuse, all white, streaked with pale red. Lip cuneate, 

 bi-lobed in front, slightly downy at the base, white, 

 suffused with reddish- 

 purple. Autumn 

 months. Tiinidad. 



Ipsea. — A smaU 

 genus of teiTestrial Or- 

 chids, with the same 

 habit as Bletia, and 

 requiring the same 

 treatment. East In- 

 dian House. 



I. speciosa. — This 

 elegant plant has 

 corm-like fleshy rhi- 

 zomes, which bear a 

 pair of narrow lanceo- 

 late leaves; these are 

 about 9 inches long, 

 about half an inch 

 wide, and bright green. 

 Scape erect, longer 

 than the leaves, usu- 

 ally two-flowered, each 

 flower a*bout 2\ inches 

 diameter. Sepals and 

 petals somewhat spa- 

 thulate, the latter 

 slightly the smaller, 

 all of a uniform rich 

 golden - yellow. Lip 

 deeply three - lobed, 

 golden-yellow, with a few faint red lines on the disc. 

 Winter and cpring months. Ceylon. 



Laelia. — A genus of showy plants, resembling 

 Cattleya in habit of growth and manner of flowering. 

 Indeed, there is little or nothing to distinguish them, 

 saving the fact of Lcelia having eight pollen-masses, 

 and Cattleya four. They require the same treatment 

 as Cfl^^a, which see. Brazilian House, except where 

 otherwise mentioned. 



L. acuminata, — In its native country' this obtains 

 the name of " Flor de Jesus," on account of its 

 extreme delicacy and beauty. It is a dwarf plant, 

 with small clustering, wrinkled, ovate pseudo-bulbs, 

 bearing a solitary coriaceous leaf. Scape terminal, 



