ORCHID NOTES FROM ST. ALBANS. 



SOME OF THE NEWEST AND BEST PLANTS AT SANDER S GREAT ESTABLISHMENT. 



PHAIUS HUMBLOTII (Fig. i, page i6i).— 

 In this we certainly have one of the sweet- 

 est oi'chids now obtainable. It flowered 

 for the first time in England last year, 

 and it has been awarded certificates at horticultural 

 shows in London and elsewhere. P. Hiniiblotii is a 

 native of Madagascar, where, according to travel- 

 ers, it abounds in swamps and marshes. It was 

 first discovered by M. Leon Humblot, a young 

 Frenchman, who has risked his life more than once 

 by visiting climates teeming with malarial fevers, in 

 the interests of horticulture. All the phaius tribe 

 are well worthy of cultivation, perhaps the species 

 most, commonly known being P. grandif alius, a good 

 old species, the deciduous kinds such as P. Marshalli- 

 (Z, P. alba, P. Bcnsona. All these, however, are 

 quite distinct, both in habit and appearance, from the 

 subject of this note. P. Huinblotii is a dwarf-growing 

 species, which is somewhat advantageous, as it does 

 not take up a great deal of room, a necessary point 

 to be considered in orchid cultivation. The flower 

 scape is produced from the base of the preceding 

 year's bulb, and grows to about a foot in length: it is 

 quite erect and of a sturdy nature, each flower spike 

 bearing from eight to twelve flowers, which expand 

 from the bottom. Each flower is, before opening, 

 enclosed in a milky white bract, which falls away as 

 soon as the flower is ready to expand. The flowers 

 are large and well formed. In color they are of a 

 rich rose, except the labellum, where we find a 

 lovely combination of purple, white and orange ; 

 the sepals and petals are almost equal, all being 

 boat-shaped, forming a perfect keel ; the column is 

 very striking, slender and arches gracefully. In 

 color, it is a pretty pale green. 



To grow this species well it is necessary that it should 

 be placed in the very warmest house, where phalaenopses 

 or dendrobes are grown, for instance. Being terrestrial, 

 this plant should be grown in pots in a good stiff compost 

 of loam and peat, with a few pieces of charcoal to assist 

 drainage ; when growing, the plants may be watered 

 freely, and an occasional damping overhead with a 

 syringe is very beneficial to their growth ; care should 

 be taken, however, that no water is allowed to remain 

 in the young growths, as it will cause them to rot, thus 

 spoiling the work of one season. The plants flower 

 during April, and remain in perfection for two or three 

 months. 



Dendrobinin DciDci (Fig. 2, page 163). — When well 

 grown this plant is worthy of a place in the best orchid 

 collection, as its habit is good and its flowers very fine. 

 This species has been in cultivation for many years, 

 though many collections lack it ; this is, no doubt, owing 

 to the fact that it is very hard to import, and when im- 

 ported, very difiicult to establish. A specimen recently 

 exhibited at the great Temple show in London, by 

 Messrs. Sander & Co., had no less than one hundred 

 and twenty-five growths, more than half of these being 

 in full bloom. When seen like this it gives one a very 

 good idea of what the plant is when grown under fa- 

 vorable circumstances. The pseudo-bulbs or stems 

 grow to a height of about a foot or eighteen inches. The 

 flowers are produced both from the old and new stems, 

 coming sometimes from the apex of the growth, and 

 sometimes they are produced laterally. In color, the 

 flowers are of a very fine milky white, except for a slight 

 tinge of green on the labellum, which, if anything, adds 

 to the beauty of the flower ; when seen to perfection the 

 flowers measure three inches across ; the sepals are 

 lanceolate, about three-quarters of an inch in width ; 

 petals are almost rotund, and measure an inch and a-half 

 in diameter. The labellum consists of a flat piece com- 

 ing out at right angles from the sepals and petals ; it is 

 about an inch and a-half long and three-quarters of an 

 inch in width ; it is furnished with a long pointed spur 

 of a pale greenish color. 



To grow D. Diarei successfully it should be placed in 

 baskets with a good compost of peat fibre and sphagnum. 

 The East Indian house, with plenty of heat and mois- 

 ture, is the place where it will thrive best. The plants 

 at St. Albans are all grown suspended from the roof, and 

 are given as much sunlight as is advisable for their wel- 

 fare. Underneath them is a large tank of water from 

 which there is a continual vapor arising, and which has 

 a very beneficial effect on the young growths. This 

 species is at rest during the winter months, during which 

 time water should be entirely withheld. In March the 

 young growths will make their appearance, and watering 

 may be resumed, but not until the young growths are 

 about two or three inches in length. The flowering sea- 

 son is during the spring and summer months of April 

 till July. The flowers are very durable, and last a long 

 time after being cut from the plants ; this fact renders 

 this a most desirable plant to be grown by nurserymen 

 and florists. 



CypripL'diHiJi Volanteauiim, ti. sp. — A very charming 

 new species has recently flowered in Messrs Sander's 

 orchid establishment. It is very much like C. Hookers, 

 but much finer in every respect. The dorsal sepal is 

 green, with a few dark markings about an inch and a-half 



