140 



REPORT ON THE 



Epidendre^e. 



This section formed a very large portion of the show, and 

 perhaps the most conspicuous part of it. Among the plants of 

 chiefly botanical interest was Stelis muscifera (Lindley), rather 

 a pretty little plant for the genus, with dark red leaves and spikes 

 of very small dull red flowers. It came from the Royal Gardens 

 at Kew, together with its ally, Physosiphon Loddigesii (Lindley), 

 a curious little plant with long slender spikes of very small pale 

 orange flowers, the sepals of which form at the base a short tube, 

 the points spreading in a starlike manner The tube contains 

 and conceals the rest of the flower, after the manner of a 

 Masdevallia, between which genus and Pleurothallis this 

 plant seems to be a connecting link. The flowers of the 

 specimen exhibited were of a paler colour than usual. Fine 

 plants of the strange Restrepia antennifera (Lindley) were shown 

 by Mr. Brymer and Mr. Southgate. 



The ever-popular genus Masdevallia was exceedingly well 

 represented ; all sections of the genus were shown, and almost all 

 the exhibitors showed some species, the series shown by Sir 

 Trevor Lawrence attracting universal admiration. The chimara 

 section was illustrated by M. Roezlii (Rchb. f.), chimara (Rchb. f.), 

 and Backhmisiana (Rchb. f.), three very closely-allied plants, if 

 indeed they are not varieties of one species ; and there were also 

 plants of M. Benedicti (Rchb. f.), some splendid specimens of 

 Veitchiana (Rchb. f.), and Lindenii (Andre), with its variety or 

 subspecies Harry ana, and there were plenty of plants of the 

 smaller flowered M. ignea (Rchb. f.), with the varieties auran- 

 tiaca, coccinea, &c. 



Other species exhibited were M. ShuttUworthii (Rchb. f.), 

 and the pale variety xanthocorys, Ivdibunda (Rchb. f.), Reichen- 

 bachiana (Endr.), psittacina (Rchb. f.), trochihis (Rchb. f.), and 

 a fine plant of Schlimii, with four flower spikes, civilis (Rchb. f.), 

 Houtteana, of which a beautiful plant with numerous flowers was 

 shown by Messrs.Vervaet, Fraseri (Rchb. f.), and racemosa (Rchb. f.), 

 which latter, however, was hardly in bloom. There were also a 

 considerable number of hybrids. 



Among the small-flowered species the most curious were 

 M. Arminii, shown by Sir T. Lawrence, M. Estrada, triangularis, 

 Simula and tridactylitesj with small brown flowers set singly on 

 very slender wire-like stems, so as to vibrate with every breath 



