70 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



marbled with brown, and slightly wrinkled. Flowers 

 large, solitary. Sepals and petals equal, pale rose or 

 lilac. Lip rolled over the column at the base, 

 spreading in front, white outside, yellow on the disc, 

 bearing fine parallel crested veins, broadly margined 

 with bands of crimson and yellow, white on the edge, 

 where it is waved. Autumn and winter. Northern 

 India. 



P. maculata. — Pseudo-bulbs flattened, narrow at 

 the base, dark green, with a few brown dots. Sepals 

 .and petals pure white. Lip rolled over the column 

 at the base, white outside, the disc yellow ; the 

 parallel veins are seven in number and fringed ; 

 broadly flaked on the margin with vivid crimson. 

 Autumn months. Northern India. 



P.prcecor. — Pseudo-bulbs top-shaped, with a raised 

 centre, dark green, spotted with reddish-crimson. 

 Flowers large, of a uniform bright rose, crested on 

 the disc, and deeply toothed at the edges. Winter 

 and spring months. Northern India. 



P. Reichenbachiana. — Pseudo-bulbs large, flask- 

 shaped, deep green, covered with a beautiful net- 

 work of brown, and profusely spotted with the same 

 colour. Peduncle usually two-flowered. Sepals 

 and petals bright rose or rosy-lilac. Lip white or 

 bright rose suffused with purple, disc blotched and 

 streaked with purple, in some forms crimson, with 

 three fringed crests along the centre. Autumn 

 months. British Burmah. 



P. Schilleriema. — This plant differs from all the 

 preceding in producing the flowers with the leaves. 

 Pseudo-bulbs very small, flask-shaped, bearing a 

 pair of lanceolate leaves, from between which the 

 single-flowered peduncle arises. Sepals and petals 

 tawny-yellow. Lip large, three-lobed, side lobes 

 small, erect, not covering the column, white ; middle 

 lobe large and spreading, lacerated and toothed at 

 the edges, the disc bearing three elevated ridges, 

 dull orange, blotched and spotted with brown. 

 Summer months. British Burmah. 



P. Wallichianum. — Pseudo-bulbs top-shaped, beau- 

 tifully spotted and netted reddish- crimson. Flowers 

 solitary, large and fragrant, bright rose. The centre 

 of the lip yellowish- white, striped with pure white, 

 crested and deeply toothed on the edge. Winter 

 and spring months. Northern India. 



Promensea. — This genus comprises a few small- 

 growing plants, which have been separated from 

 Maxittaria. They are all low-growing, seldom ex- 

 ceeding four inches in height, and should be planted 

 in shallow hanging baskets, in rough peat. In the 

 growing season water freely, but dry them mode- 

 rately when at rest. Brazilian House. 



P. citrina. — Pseudo-bulbs oblong, clustered, bear- 

 ing a pair of thin, pale green leaves. Peduncle 



radical, one-flowered. Sepals and petals spreading, 

 of a uniform deep rich yellow. Lip yellow, spotted 

 with crimson at the base. Autumn months. Brazil. 



P. Eollissonii. — A somewhat stronger - growing 

 species than the preceding. The flowers, which are 

 pale yellow, destitute of spots, are also larger. 

 Autumn months. Brazil. 



P. Stapelioides. — Pseudo-bulbs ovate, bearing a 

 pair of thin, pale green leaves. Peduncle bearing a 

 solitary large flower. Sepals and petals greenish- 

 yellow, spotted and transversely barred with deep 

 purple. Lip small, and very dark purplish-black. 

 Autumn months. Brazil. 



Renanthera.— These are very handsome epi- 

 phytes, with large distichous leaves and long racemes 

 of showy flowers. The name comes from rcn, " a 

 kidney," and refers to the reniform shape of the 

 anthers. They are nearly allied to Vanda, from 

 which they are distinguished by their jointed 

 labellum, and the spur being on the middle and not 

 at the end. Benantheras require great heat and 

 moisture, and should be grown in pots with sphag- 

 num moss, and kept in the warmest part of the East 

 Indian House. 



P. coccinea. — A rather straggling plant, which suc- 

 ceeds well trained upon the roof, where it can be 

 fully exposed to the sun. The leaves are rather 

 short, oblong, and notched at the apex. The 

 peduncle is branched and bears a great number of 

 flowers, which are about two inches across. Dorsal 

 sepals and petals about equal, deep red, suffused with 

 orange ; lateral sepals larger, and deep rich scarlet. 

 Lip small, rich crimson, white at the base. This 

 plant is a very shy bloomer, and during the winter 

 months should be kept quite dry unless it shows 

 signs of exhaustion. Summer months. Cochin 

 China. 



P. Lowii. — This is one of the most remarkable 

 plants in the whole of the Orchid family. It grows 

 to a great height, with a thick stem, on which the 

 large strap-shaped leaves are arranged in a two- 

 ranked manner ; these measure from one to three feet 

 in length, smooth above, carinate beneath, and deep 

 green. The flower-spike is pendulous, thickly 

 clothed with short hairs, attaining a length of from 

 three to six, and (in strong and vigorous specimens) 

 even twelve feet, bearing as many as fifty flowers, and 

 plants have borne as many as six of these gigantic 

 racemes at one time in this country. A peculiarity of 

 P. Lowii is the production of two kinds of flowers on 

 one spike ; the two basal ones, that is the pair next 

 the leaves, differ somewhat in shape and altogether 

 in colour. Sepals and petals in the basal flowers thick 

 and fleshy, spreading, broad and obtuse, with plain 

 edges, and nearly equal in size, colour tawny-yellow, 



