20 



NOTES ON ORCHIDS AT HOPE GARDENS. 



Dendrohium formosum^ Roxb., var., giganteum, Hort. — First intro- 

 duced to European gardens fi'om tlie Kliasia Hills, in 1837. It is 

 widely distributed over nortb-eastern India and Burmab. In Britisb 

 Burmab tbe native women use tbe flowers to adorn tbeir bair. It is 

 also a native of tbe Andaman Islands, and some of tbe very finest forms 

 are found in mangrove swamps along tbe sea coast, wbere tbe plants 

 are wasbed by sea- spray during stormy weatber. In tbese islands tbere 

 is rain during eleven montbs of tbe year, so tbat tbe plants bave prac- 

 tically no resting season. Tbis is the largest-flowered, and finest of tbe 

 wbite Dendrobiums. Tbe flowers are produced towards tbe ends of tbe 

 leafy stems, usually in clusters of 3 to 5 ; tbe individual flowers are 

 about 4 incbes across, of tbe purest wbite, save an orange-yellow blotcb 

 on tbe lip ; tbe sepals are lance-sbaped and pointed, tbe petals almost 

 as broad as long, blunt ; tbe lip bas a large tongue-like spur. 



Dendrohium Phalcenopsis, Fitzg. — Tbis fine Dendrobium is a native of 

 Nortb Australia and New Gruinea. Tbe flowers latter are about 3 in- 

 cbes across, tbe sepals lance-sbaped and pointed, varying in colour 

 from pure wbite to rosy-mauve ; petals twice as broad as tbe sepals, 

 rosy-lilac or purplisb-mauve in colour, lip tbree-lobed, maroon-purple. 



Lcelia rubescens, Lindl. — Tbis pretty little orcbid is a native of 

 Soutbern Mexico and Guatemala, and tbe inbabitants of tbe last named 

 country tbink so bigbly of it tbat they call it "Flor de Jesus." The 

 scape is about 12 incbes bigb, and bears at its summit a loose raceme 

 of 5 flowers. Tbe latter are about 2^ incbes in diameter rosy-lilac in 

 colour. 



Broughtonia lilacinay Henfr. — Tbis beautiful orcbid is a native of 

 Jamaica, Cuba and San Domingo. Tbe scape is 15 to 30 incbes long, 

 producing at its summit 5 to 9 flowers, eacb about 2 incbes across, and 

 in colour pale rosy-mauve witb purple veins and marklings, Tbis has 

 been known for long as " Lseliopsis domingensis." 



Oncidium Fajjilio, Lindl. — Tbis is tbe Butterfly Orcbid of Trinidad 

 remarkable for tbe appearance of its flowers. Tbe central lobe of tbe- 

 lip is of a canary-yellow colour witb a brigbt red marginal band. Tbe 

 side lobes are small but from below tbem I be lateral sepals spread 

 down wing-like, witb wavy margins almost surrounding tbe lip ; tbey 

 are brigbt cbestnut-red crossed by yellow bands. Above are tbree long 

 and narrow appendages of tbe Butterfly," tbe central one being tbe 

 tbird sepal, and tbq two otbers tbe petals. 



Oncidium Kramerianmn, Reicbb. — Tbis is considered by many as 

 merely a variety of 0. Papilio, but otbers point out various structural 

 differences wbicb are considered sufficient to separate tbe two, sucb as 

 tbe upper sepals and petals are sborter and differently coloured. It is 

 a native of tbe Andes of Ecuador and 'New Grrenada, 



Calantke Veitchii, Lindl. — Tbe genus Calantbe includes over forty 

 species widely distributed over tbe tropical and sub-tropical regions of 

 tbe Eastern Hemispbere and occurring also very sparingly in 5lexico, 

 Central America and tbe West Indies, Calantbe mexicana" being 

 found in Jamaica. Tbe Calantbes are most numerous along tbe lower 



