ANSELLIA—ARPOPHYLL UM—ARUNDINA . 



73 



starting young pieces growing on their own account, leaving the old plants to break 

 again. Avoid wetting the leaves, but maintain a moist atmosphere. There are 

 many species and varieties and all are natives of the Tropics. 



ansellia. — A small genus of very fine orchids. A. africana and its varieties are 

 principally grown. They are tall plants with leafy stems, at the apices of which large 

 racemes of flowers appear. Most of them are of some shade of yellow, with spots of 

 crimson. The plants must be grown in the warmest house, but are better rested in 

 a cooler temperature. Grow them in pots of fair size, drained thoroughly, and use a 

 compost of peat and leaf mould or loam fibre, adding, in either case, sufficient finely- 

 broken crocks to prevent the earthy materials running too closely together. The plants 

 root with much greater freedom than most orchids, and it is not at all unusual to see a 

 quantity of roots pushed out over the pot, or upwards into the congenial atmosphere of 

 the orchid house. Such plants always like plenty of moisture, and these are no exception ; 

 few, indeed, require more so long as growth is active, but when at rest in the cooler 

 house the roots may be kept proportionately drier. The most critical time is when the 

 fresh young shoots are a few inches in length, as they then form cups that hold 

 moisture, and this must be avoided as it is apt to cause them to decay. When rather 

 more advanced, syringing with soft water is advantageous. Ansellia africana is a native 

 of Sierra Leone. 



arpophylltjm. — Only one species need be described : A. giganteum — a vigorous- 

 growing orchid, with thin, stem-like pseudo-bulbs, each bearing a single leaf, from the 

 base of which the flower racemes issue. These are rosy -purple, and consist of a very large 

 number of flowers closely set. The plant grows well in the coolest part of the Cattleya 

 house, and should be placed in a fairly large pot in the ordinary way, not elevated. It 

 must have abundant light and air all the year round, or flowers will be looked for in 

 vain. Peat and moss form suitable compost, and a full supply of moisture is necessary 

 during the growing period. Mexico, Guatemala, 1839. 



arundina bambus^folia. — (Also known as Cymbidium bambussefoliuni.) — A 

 summer flowering orchid of much beauty, producing its flowers from the tops of the 

 tall, rush-like stems. They are rose-coloured, the lip much deeper than the rest of the 

 flower, and bright yellow veins radiate from a white throat. The plants are essentially 

 heat-loving and require a free-rooting medium. They grow well in good, rough fibrous 

 peat, with a little pounded charcoal intermixed, over three or four inches of drainage 

 in pots proportionate in size to that of the plants. The roots should not be unduly 



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