﻿THE ORCHID REVIEW. [October, 1904. 



ONCIDIUM RETEMEYERIAN UM, 



A plant of this very rare species has just flowered in the collection of Sir 

 Trevor Lawrence, Bart., Burford, Dorking, and shows once more how very 

 distinct it is from all its allies, in fact the very dark purple fleshy lip has 

 been not inaptly compared with that of Cottonia peduncularis. The species 

 originally appeared in the collection of Herr Retemeyer, at Bremen, in 1856, 

 and was described by Reichenbach (Bot. Zeit., xiv., p. 513), being placed in 

 the Sarcoptera group, near O. carthaginense and O. luridum. A year later 

 it flowered with M. Chantin at Paris, and in August, 1866, also in the col- 

 lection of W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., at Reigate, when it was figured in 

 the Refugium Botanicum (ii., t. 74). It has the general habit and fleshy 

 leaves of its allies, but is much dwarfer, the plant figured having leaves 

 about 4 inches long, and the spike about a foot high. The flowers are 

 about 9 lines across, with the somewhat fleshy sepals and petals red-brown, 

 and a yellow area near the base, while the pandurate, very fleshy lip is dark 

 blackish purple, except at the bright yellow base. The crest consists of 

 five fleshy blackish purple tubercles, and the fleshy column wings are of the 

 same colour, while the pollinia are orange-yellow. Mr. Wilson Saunders 

 remarked: — " This species of Oncidium, so very remarkable in the colour 

 and substance of its flowers, was sent to me from Mexico by Mons. Boucard. 

 It does not flower freely, and is not a vigorous grower. It succeeds best in 

 a moderate temperature, suspended on a block or in a basket near the light. 

 It must be kept dry during the winter, but will bear a moist atmosphere 

 when growing. M. Kienast Zolly, of Zurich, has also since obtained it 

 from Mexico, and it has also flowered in one or two other collections, though 

 it is not often met with. 



R. A. R. 



DIFFICULTIES OF ORCHID IMPORTING. 



Importers of Orchids have various difficulties to encounter, and one of 

 them is very amusingly caricatured by that well known artist, the late 

 George Cruikshank, in Mr. James Bateman's ponderous work, The 

 Orchidacece of Mexico and Guatemala. The sketch is here reproduced (fig. 

 44) from a photograph, together with Mr. Bateman's quaint description of 

 the incident, which is almost as amusing as the sketch itself. 



" Those who have ever received a case of Orchidaceas from the Tropics, 

 know full well that the opening of it is attended with the most intense 

 and feverish excitement : and those who have not been so fortunate, will be 

 glad to gather some notion of such stirring scenes from the accompanying 

 Vignette, — which, it is needless to say, is from the inimitable pencil of 



