298 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GAEDEXING. 



branclies of a species of Erythrina on the mountain- 

 ridges of Santa Martha ; but, on account of the 

 weight of the pseudo-bulbs, j)ot culture is preferable 

 in this country ; the pots should be drained well, and 

 the peat must be rough and fibrous; during the 

 growing season they enjoy a copious supply of 

 water, but during winter it should be entirely with- 

 held. Cool end of Brazilian House. 



M. aromatiaoH. — Eaceme short and erect, flowers 

 soft pink, profusely dotted with bright red. They 

 are very fragrant. Summer months. Mexico. 



M. atropurpureiim. — Raceme erect, and many- 

 flowered ; flowers large, and of a uniform deep 

 blackish-purple. Summer months. Central America. 



M. barbatiim. — This species is figured in the Botani- 

 cal Magazine under the name of M. atropurpureiim, 

 but it is quite a distinct plant. The scape is erect ; 

 flowers pendulous and distant, of a uniform rich 

 reddish-brown ; lij) velvety, and furnished with 

 numerous short hairs. Spring months. Panama. 



M. Cartonii, — A variable plant. The first time it 

 flowered in cultivation it produced a dense, many- 

 flowered raceme of beautifully- striped flowers ; since 

 then we have a form of it with dark lake-coloured 

 flowers, speckled with red; and another with dull 

 red flowers, ornamented with dotted lines of red ; 

 and again a form in which the sepals and petals are 

 flesh-coloured. In the type the sepals and petals 

 are yellow, with longitudinal streaks of bright red ; 

 lip pale yellow, sparingly streaked with short lines 

 of red. Summer months. Santa Martha, at 3,000 

 to 4,000 feet elevation. 



M. Greenii. — A magnificent species of somewhat 

 recent introduction ; raceme dense, many-flowered, 

 and pendulous ; flowers large, yellow, densely spotted 

 with dark red ; lip same colour, with a dark purple 

 base. Summer months. Central America. 



31. igneion. — This very showy species produces 

 large fleshy flowers on a dense raceme, about a dozen 

 together ; the sepals and petals are rich chocolate, 

 and the lip a fiery orange-red. Winter months. 

 Central America. 



31. luxatum. — Raceme many-flowered, each flower 

 upwards of three inches across, and powerfully aro- 

 matic ; sepals and petals pale lemon-colour, some- 

 times creamy- white ; lip same colour as' the sepals, 

 with a few streaks of reddish-brown. Summer 

 months. Mexico. 



31. macrantJuim. — This is a magnificent species ; 

 the raceme bears six to twelve flowers, which are 

 nearly six inches across, of a imiform rich deep 

 brown. In the variety colossus the sepals and petals 

 are pale rose-colour at the base, the upper part light 

 yellow ; lip golden-yellow, dotted with rose. Spring 

 and early summer. Central America. 



31. pardinum. — Raceme many - flowered ; flowers 



large, rich yellow, dotted and spotted with bright 

 brown. Summer months. Mexico. 



3[. Skinnerii. — A handsome species ; the flowers 

 are large, soft creamy-yellow, streaked with lines of 

 deep red; lip deep yellow, spotted with red, and 

 furnished with numerous white hairs. Summer 

 months. Central America. 



31. speciosum. — Sepals and petals rich, deep golden- 

 yellow ; lip same colour, tipped with rich purple, 

 and dotted with dark crimson. Summer months. 

 New Grenada, at 4,000 to 5,000 feet elevation. 



31. micia. — The flowers are larger than those of 

 3£. aromaticum, creamy-white, variously spotted and 

 blotched with purplish- violet. Summer months. 

 Mexico. 



31. TFilliamsii. — This is a very beautiful species ; 

 the pseudo-bulbs are short, and very stout. Spike 

 erect, raceme dense, bearing twelve to fifteen large, 

 creamy-white flowers, which are very aromatic. 

 Spring and early summer. Mexico. 



!N" anodes. — This genus was established for a very 

 small plant known as Nanodes discolor; the name 

 signifies "pigmy," and was very applicable to that 

 species, inasmuch as the whole plant was not more 

 than two inches high, and flowers and leaves were 

 very similar in colour; the species here described, 

 although corresponding in colour, is a short robust 

 plant, and with some slight ditferences in the 

 arrangements of the parts of the flower. The genus 

 is distinguished by "its lip being adnate to the 

 column, and cohering with the lateral sepals above 

 which it is placed, and by its four compressed pollen- 

 masses being sessile side by side on an ovate gland." 

 Block culture suits these plants best. PeruvianHouse. 



JSf. 3Iediisce. — The specific name comes from the 

 peculiar long-fringed margin of the labellum. The 

 plant has no pseudo-bulbs, but a long fleshy stem 

 which grows downwards ; the stems are tufted, a foot 

 or more long, and bear linear-oblong leaves, which 

 are three to four inches long and an inch broad, 

 arranged in a distichous manner, clasping the stem 

 at the base, and pale green in colour, with more or 

 less of a glaucous hue. Flowers usually in pairs at 

 the ends of the branches, flat, thick, and fleshy 

 in textui-e, and two to three inches in diameter ; 

 sepals and petals sub-equal, linear-oblong, green, 

 more or less tinged with brown ; lip very large, 

 nearly round, lobed in front, the margin very deeply 

 fringed, the whole of a rich deep maroon, except 

 a small patch of green on the disc. Summer months. 

 Andes of Peru. 



Nasonia. -Small-growing plants, which require 

 to be grown upon a block of wood, with a little 

 sphagnum moss ; they require a good supply of 



