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state. This is probably due' to the deficiency of light in the dull 

 English climate. The same deficiency of the depth of the rich brown 

 purples of many of our flowers is noticeable in other figures of plants 

 drawn from specimens from our gardens here, especially Bulbophyllum 

 macranthum Fig. 7208 which is much lighter in colour than usual 

 and Zinziher spectahile, Plate 7967, of which the lip is given with 

 distinctl}^ red wings instead of black as is usual. The fine purple 

 grass. Pennisetum macrostachyurn from New Guinea, which is so noble 

 an ornament to our gardens with its rich deep purple leaves like 

 those of a dark red Dracaena, in England, only appears of a dirty 

 brownish pink green colour, doubtless from want of our brilliant 

 sunshine. 



Dendrobium spectabiie. 



This curious and beautiful orchid originally described as Latouria 

 spcctahilis, Blume flowered this year in January in the plant house of 

 the Botanic Gardens. The plants were received from the Solomon 

 islands. 



It seems to be vv'idely spread over New Guinea and the Pacific 

 islands and has been flowered in Europe, and is figured in the 

 Botanical Magazine, Plate 7741, and also in Blumes Rumphia. In 

 these and all other figures of it the flowers are different in colouring 

 from the two plants now in fiower in the Gardens plant house, 

 though in structure the flowers , seem identical. The long twisting 

 sepals and petals are olive yellow, faintly streaked with brownish red. 

 The lip in the other figures is red at the base and yellow at the tip 

 covered with reticulations of a violet colour with a central violet bar. 

 In the Singapore plants the whole lip is closely reticulated with a 

 deep purple black on a white ground giving it a very distinct 

 appearance. Mr. Micholitz who has seen this plant commonly in 

 flower in the Polynesian islands and New Guinea has never seen a 

 plant resembling it, even in Solomon islands whence these plants were 

 received. Both plants are exactly similar, and though perhaps not as 

 pretty as the commoner form, are very quaint and striking. 



Hosea Lobbiana, Ridl. 



This beautiful climber has been usually brilliant this year and 

 has attracted much attention. It is a native of Kuching in Sarawak 

 where it grows in swamps in full sun climbing over the bushes and 

 trees. The stem is stout and woody, and the leaves deep shining 

 green, toward the end of tlie branches some of the leaves show red 

 blotches or spots, or a leaf may be half red. The terminal leaves 

 on a flowering spray are produced entirely of a light bright orange 

 red, generally four to six pairs. The flowers in a lax spreading panicle 

 are salmon red, with long dark crimson skamens. The brilliant leaves 

 are the attractive part of this charming plant but the elegant though 

 less brilliant flowers add to its beauty. The fruit is dark purple 

 brown and sausage shaped about three inches long, pointed at both 



