72 



native specimens. Each flower is about five inches across, 

 the sepals being yellowish white, marked with rose-purple 

 stripes and dots; the petals are twisted and stand out horizon- 

 tally at each side, and are spotted with crimson on a white 

 ground. The slipper is white, but almost covered on the 

 lower part with soft rose-colored spots. A pubescence on sev- 

 eral parts of the flower adds to its striking character. This 

 is an orchid which no collection should be without. The rest 

 of the new cypripediums deserving of mention are hybrids. 

 From forty to fifty of them have flowered and been named, 

 but it is only necessary to mention the most distinct. One of them 

 certainly is C. Evenor, raised by Messrs. Veitch from C. bella- 

 pnpe" talttm and C 1 It is one of the few hybrids raised from 



is also the offspring of C. bellatalum, the other parent being 

 C. Lawrenceanum ; it was raised by Sir Trevor Lawrence, pres- 

 ident of the Royal Horticultural Society. C Telemachus is 

 a pretty variety raised from C. niveum and C. Lawraiceamtni, 

 and in the same group must also be placed C. Arete, whose 

 parents are C. concolor and C. Spicerianum. C. niveum. bellafu- 

 lum and concolor are members of a compact group of lady- 

 slipper orchids as beautiful as they are distinct. They are, 



see them in these hybrids combined with robuster strains. 

 The species hitherto mentioned are of the Asiatic section, 

 but the South American branch of the genus has also been 

 enlarged. Perhaps the best of these is C. Brysa, raised 

 from C. Sedeni var. candidulum (itself a fine hybrid) and C. 

 reticulatum ; the flowers are blush colored. Another likely to 

 prove useful is C. Perseus, raised from C. Sedeni var. porphyreutn 

 and C. Lindleyanum. The worst of these hybrids is that even 

 with the quickest-growing of them it will be a good many 

 years before they are plentiful enough to become available 

 for general cultivation. But there is no reason, especially in 

 your sunny land, why every cultivator who has the time and 

 conveniences should not raise his own. There is perhaps^no 



"A very remarkable new bulbophyllum has been intrudm rd 

 h"mcom y J" to Kew - lt is called B - comostim, and is a native of the Shan 

 sum. states of Burmah. It is the only species as yet known with 

 white flowers, which are also singular in being covered with 



