﻿October, 1904.] 



THE ORCHID REVIEW. 



ONCIDIUM PR/ETEXTUM. 



Among the Brazilian Oncidiums of the crispum group there has long been 

 evidence of the existence of something analogous to that found in the case of 

 Odontoglossum crispum in Colombia, namely that certain species grow inter- 

 mixed, and that intermediate forms occur, which there is good reason to believe 

 are of hybrid origin. An attempt has already been made to clear up some of 

 these intermediate forms {O.R., i., pp. 298-302), but we are hampered with 

 the difficulty that very little is known as to which species grow together, 

 and indeed as to the distribution of the species generally and the conditions 

 under which they grow. Fortunately we have been promised some informa- 

 tion as to these points from a well-known importer, which we hope will 

 throw light on the origin of some of these doubtful forms, and in any case 

 the information will be welcome. Already we have evidence of different 

 species occurring in the same importation, but it is not always clear that 

 some of this may not be due to accidental admixture after the plants were 

 collected. An interesting case of this mixture of allied forms has just 

 occurred in the collection of H. Emmons, Esq., The Copse, Hamble, 

 Southampton, where O. Forbesii, curtum, Gardneri, and prastextum 

 appeared among imported plants, together with one or two others whose 

 identity remains uncertain at present. One of the forms mentioned has 

 always been a rather doubtful plant, namely O. praetextum, and it may be 

 interesting to bring together its rather scattered history. 



Oncidium prastextum was described by Reichenbach, in 1873 {Gard. 

 Chron., 1873, p. 1206), from dried specimens sent by Mr. John H. Wilson, 

 of Liverpool, which were said to have been collected in the province of 

 San Paulo, Brazil, by Mr. E. D. Jones. The sepals and petals were 

 described as horse-chestnut colour, with many yellow blotches, and the lip 

 dark yellow with a broad brown margin round the anterior part, "excepting 

 the last circumference, which is yellow." The author described it as allied 

 to O. curtum, Lindl., but after comparing it with the whole of the O. cris- 

 pum group he came to the conclusion that it was " a very lovely novelty." 



Four years later we find it in cultivation, for on August 21st, 1877, a 

 plant was exhibited by Messrs. James Veitch and Sons, at a meeting of the 

 R.H.S., and was awarded a First-class certificate. It was noted as " a 

 free-flowering new species, in which the sepals and petals are brown marked 

 with yellow, and the labellum yellow margined with brown " (Gard. Chron., 

 1877, ii., p. 248). 



Immediately afterwards a plant was figured in the Belgique Horticole 

 (1877, p. 357, t. 20), under the same name. It is said to have been recently 

 introduced from Brazil, and flowered at the Chateau de Baillonville, in the 

 rich collection of M. Dieudonne Massange de Louvrex. 



