THE ORCHID GENERA 63 



suit them admirably. Abundance of water is necessary 

 during the growing season, keeping them fairly moist 

 during winter. C. Devonianum sometimes produces its 

 flower spikes in a downward direction, for which reason 

 shallow baskets are more suitable than pots. 



Cypripedium 



The genus Cypripedium was founded by Linnaeus on 

 C. ca/ceo/us, a hardy species, which has become virtually 

 extinct as a wild plant in this country, though it is com- 

 paratively plentiful in some localities in Central Europe 

 and Northern Asia. The many different species belong- 

 ing to this genus are favourite garden plants, the 

 majority being easy to cultivate, and are readily pro- 

 pagated by dividing strong established masses. They 

 are widely distributed in both hemispheres, being found 

 in North and South America, China, Japan, India, Borneo, 

 Java, New Guinea, and the Philippines. As mentioned 

 in the early part of this book, the circumscription 

 of the genus has been somewhat modified by botanists 

 during the past few years, and it has been separated into 

 different sections, but, with the exception of the ovary 

 and a slight difference in the character of the pollen, the 

 floral structure of the South American and the Eastern 

 Cypripedium is the same. The foliage of such South 

 American species (now known as Selenipedium) as C. 

 caudatum, C. Lindleyanum, C. Schlmii, C. Sargentianum, C. 

 longifolium, C. Boissierianum, and C. caricinum {Pearcei) is 

 never mottled, but some of the Eastern species, as C. 

 Lawrenceanum, C. Argus> C. Hookera, C. Dayanum, C. 

 Javamcum, and C. superbiens, have extremely ornamental 

 foliage, and are well worth growing as foliage plants. 

 With but few exceptions, Cypripediums do well potted 

 in a compost of rough fibry peat and clean picked 

 sphagnum moss in about equal parts, some broken pieces 



