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HOTAL HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETT. 



called "miseries of Orchids," — minute flowering species, interest- 

 ing only to botanists. Among them were a supposed species of 

 ZeocJiilus, of little beauty, but having a scent like that of Helio- 

 trope, especially when the sun shines on the flowers ; Mpidendrum 

 Hormidium, the blossoms of which smelt like fresh-gathered Prim- 

 roses ; Peleccia triloba, remarkable for the beauty of its structure ; 

 Bletia teretifolia, Maxillaria pulchella, a Pleurothallis, an Eria 

 from Assam, and some others. Most of these were fastened to 

 thin slabs of wood or cork, on which they were found to succeed 

 best. They require a continuous supply of moisture, not only in 

 the atmosphere, but also about their roots ; and this is obtained 

 by wetting both sides of the wood on which they grow with a 

 syringe. These were accompanied by the curious-looking Tillandsia 

 bullosa picta, which Mr. Saunders finds to succeed better attached 

 to a block than when grown in soil in pots. In the same group 

 was a little creeping JPeperomia (nummular icef olio) , which had 

 inadvertently turned up among some of Mr. AVeir's Brazilian 

 Orchids, and w r hich, owing to its pendulous habit, though a 

 mere stove-weed, may doubtless be used with advantage in the 

 ornamentation of hanging baskets, its thread-like branching 

 stems being furnished with pale-green, roundish-oval leaves. 



From Mr. Bull, of Chelsea, came three new Camellias : — Venan- 

 zio, a small imbricated sort, of a flesh-colour faintly striped ; 

 Contessa Novello, blush- white, faintly striped, in the style of, but, 

 as shown, not equal to, Countess of Orkney ; and Archiduc Carlo di 

 Toscana, a small flattish-cupped crimson, with white blotches, in 

 the style of Bacciochi, which, however, is superior to it. Messrs. 

 Waterer and Godfrey, of Knaphill, sent three plants of the re- 

 cently-introduced green-leaved Aucuba japonica, in fruit, and 

 chiefly remarkable for the size of the clusters of berries. 



Several plants were contributed from the Society's garden esta- 

 blishments : — among them, a well-flowered specimen of Libonia 

 floribunda, gay with a profusion of tubular crimson and yellow 

 flowers ; and a very handsome New Granada Gattleya of Mr. 

 "Weir's importation, coining very near the original form of C. 

 Triancei : the sepals were blush ; the petals deeper blush and crispy 

 at the edge ; the lip finely undulated at the margin, very deep 

 blush in the rolled-in portion, with a yellow blotch at the base of 

 the disk, and richly tipped with magenta purple. These Cattleyas, 

 which flower in spring, bloom as soon as their growth is made, as 

 occurs in C. labiala, and not after resting awhile as is the case 

 with C. Mossice. 



