BA TEMANNIA —BRA SSA VOLA . 



75 



batemannia. — A free-flowering and useful genus of orchids, not very popular. B. 

 Colleyi, B. grandiflora, and B. meleagris are the most generally grown. Having scarcely 

 anything in the way of pseudo bulbs, watering is necessary more or less all the year round. 

 A shady position in the intermediate house suits them best. 

 Bifeenaria — See Maxillaria. 



BLETiA. — Interesting and easily-cultivated orchids that deserve more attention than 

 present-day growers give them. They thrive in pots of fairly large size, which must be 

 well-drained. For compost use equal parts of loam fibre, peat and chopped sphagnum or 

 leaf mould. Give water freely when the plants are growing, and keep them in a 

 cool, airy house or frame. "When growth is over stand the pots outside for a couple 

 of months, but place them under cover on the approach of frost. B. hyacinthina is 

 the most popular, and produces long spikes of rosy-purple flowers. China, 1802 (c). 

 B. Shepherdi is a tall-growing, vigorous plant, bearing long, branching spikes of purple 

 flowers with yellow lip. Jamaica, 1825 (c). B. verecunda (see page 39) is the 

 oldest-known exotic orchid; spikes 3 feet high; flowers purple. West Indies, 

 1731 (<?). 



bollea. — Allied to Zygopetalum, this genus comprises a small number of interest- 

 ing and beautiful orchids, the best of which are mentioned below. Their culture requires 

 skill, as, having no pseudo-bulbs or large fleshy leaves to support them during the 

 winter, great care in watering is necessary. Grow the plants in the shadiest position at 

 command, where the atmosphere is always moist, and, while never allowing the roots 

 to become quite dry, avoid over- watering, even in summer. They grow well in rather 

 flat pans or baskets, these being filled to within an inch with crocks, the remainder 

 taken up by a porous compost of large, rough pieces of charcoal or crocks, peat fibre, 

 and sphagnum moss in equal proportions. Some cultivators grow them well on pieces 

 of tree-fern stems. Among the more popular species in this group are:— B. ccelestis. 

 — A beautiful kind, with flowers borne singly ; pale blue in the centre, becoming nearly 

 white at the tips of the segments; lip deep violet-purple. Columbia, 1878 (*). B. 

 Lalindei. — A species bearing rose-coloured flowers, about 3 inches across, the lip 

 golden-yellow, on single-flowered scapes. New Grenada, 1874 (/). B. Patini. — 

 Very nearly related to the last-named, and similar in colour, though this varies a 

 little in both. New Grenada, 1873 (*). B. Schroderiana, — A beautiful plant, with 

 flowers of a waxy-white appearance on the outer segments; the lip pink (/). 



bbassavola. —There are a few very beautiful plants in this genus, notably B. 



l2 



