﻿THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



racemes. It is said that when it flowered again in 1887 it was still more 

 extraordinary, and that 650 flowers were counted on the plant on that 

 occasion {Vcitch Man. O., vii., p. 12). The number of yellow flowers on the 

 spike has been observed to vary, even on the same plant. A strong specimen 

 in the collection of Baron Hruby, Peckau, Bohemia, produced fifteen spikes in 

 1889, and the gardener, M. Fans, observed that while some of the spikes had 

 three and others two yellow flowers, the number in the shorter spikes was 

 reduced to one. In other cases as many as four yellow flowers have been 



The species varies but little. Reichenbach described a Renanthera 

 Rohaniana from dried specimens, in [885 {X&n. Orch., i., p. 89), and it after- 

 wards flowered in cultivation, and a coloured plate was given in the Revue 

 Horticole (1879, p. 210), but a comparison with the older form, which had 

 been previously figured in the same work (1868, p. 112) shows that the 

 supposed novelty is but a trifling variety, having fewer and iarger blotches 

 on what may be termed the blotched kind of flowers. Veitch's var. 

 Rohdeniana( Man. O., vii., p. 10) is evidently a mistake for the same thing,, 

 as both are said to have come from the Lueddemann collection. 



An interesting experiment was made by M. Kramer, gardener to Madame 

 Jenisch, of Flotbeck Park, Hamburg, to ascertain whether there was any 

 sexual difference between the two kinds of flowers. He self-fertilised the 

 yellow flowers, and also fertilised them with pollen from the other kind, 

 besides fertilising the blotched flowers with pollen from the yellow, and in 

 all three cases ripe fruits were produced, from which he concluded that 

 there was no sexual difference between them (Warn. 56'/. Orch., ii., t. 4). 



Mr. J. C. Spyers also made a curious discovery which we should like to 

 see confirmed. Speaking of the Burford Lodge plant, he remarked :— " A 

 remarkable fact about this splendid Vanda is that the one or two yellow 

 flowers at the base of the many-flowered spike emit a very powerful odour 

 while none of the chocolate and white flowers are anything but slightly 

 scented. The scent is peculiar, but not disagreeable" {Card. Chron., 1880, 

 ii., p. 406). Commenting on this, Mr. Day observed : — " I have not 

 remarked this, but no doubt it is so. I have had three plants in flower, but 

 I never smelt at the yellow flowers." It need hardly be added that Mr. Day 

 had made a very careful painting from one of his plants (Coll. Draw., xxv., 

 t. 35), but he had previously painted both kinds of flowers, which had been 

 brought to him by Mr. Rucker in August, 1864 {I.e., viii., t. 25). On that 

 occasion he had observed that the anther and pollinia of the yellow flower 

 was deformed and imperfect, and added—" I wonder if it is always so." He 

 also noted that the flowers had a smell a little like cucumber, but less 

 refreshing, in fact, rather sickening. Had he then noticed any difference 

 between the scent of the two kinds of flowers he would certainly have noted it. 



