﻿THE ORCHID REVIEW. [August, 1904. 



ONCIDIUM WARNERI. 



A plant of this extremely rare but very pretty little species has just 

 bloomed at Kew, producing a raceme of eight flowers. The species origin- 

 ally appeared in the collection of C. B. Warner, Esq., of Hoddesden, and 

 was exhibited at a meeting of the Horticultural Society in May, 1845, 

 when it was described by Lindley under the name of Odontoglossum 

 Warneri {Bot. Keg., xxxi., Misc., p. 54), and afterwards a darker variety was 

 figured as var. purpuratum (I.e., xxxiii., t. 20). This had been introduced 

 from Mexico by Messrs. Loddiges. It was afterwards transferred to 

 Oncidium by the same author {Fol. Orch., Oncid., p. 36), as Oncidium 

 Warneri, being placed in the small section Paucituberculata, next to O. 

 cheirophorum, to which, however, it is not very nearly allied. Lindley 

 described it as " a plant with conical csespitose pseudo-bulbs, and recurved 

 grassy leaves longer than the short raceme. Lip bright yellow, equally four- 

 lobed. Sepals and petals purple, equal, recurved at the points." It is 

 only certainly known as a native of Mexico, though Reichenbach once 

 remarked : "To my great surprise, I have just obtained from Mr. Bull a 

 wild-grown inflorescence with undoubted New Granadan Orchids from the 

 United States of Columbia " (Gard. Chron., 1879, ii., p. 390). The state- 

 ment, however, may have originated in error, for Mr. Day, who obtained 

 one of Mr. Bulks plants in 1875, records the place of origin as " New 

 Granada 01 thereabouts," afterwards adding "may be from Mexico, Roezl " 

 (Day Coll. Draw., xix., t. 73). It may be added that Mr. Day's painting, 

 as usual, is excellent, and his remark, " I think it a very pretty little thing," 

 expresses the opinion of a well-known connoisseur. 



R.A.R. 



SNAILS ON ORCHIDS. 



There is a small shell snail which is sometimes troublesome in Orchid 

 houses in this country, and which we believe is known as the Garlic Snail, 

 Helix alliaria, from the strong garlic-like smell it emits. Some such pest 

 appears to be troubling " A. K. A.," of New York, who asks the Editor of 

 A merican Gardening for a remedy. He describes it as a small black shell 

 snail, about the size of a quarter of a pea, which lodges in the peat and 

 moss in baskets where Orchids are planted, and eats off the young roots as 

 soon as they appear. Messrs. Lager cS: Hurrell reply that this little snail 

 does not to their knowledge eat the roots of Orchids, and the only time of 

 the year when it can do any damage is in the fall, eating the flowers. 

 When too troublesome they place pieces of fresh lettuce leaves on the pots 

 in the evening, gathering them up in the morning when the snails invariably 

 will be found on these leaves, and when they may be easily destroyed. 



