164 



ORCHID NOTES FROM ST. ALBANS. 



in spring and go on through the summer. Plenty o£ 

 good rain-water should be given them at this period. 

 About the end of August, or the middle of September, 

 the growths will have been completed and the flower 

 sheaths showing. Less water should now be given, as 

 the plants are not in such a high state of activity. The 

 flowers, which are usually produced in October and 

 November, are of a deep rosy purple, with darker col- 

 ored veins running through the segments. The petals 

 are about twice the width of the sepals, which, when well 

 developed, are nearly an inch in width and about two 

 in length. The lip is closely folded and forms a trum- 

 pet. It is very richly colored in the throat with dark 

 purple, near which are two white blotches, making alto- 

 gether a very fine contrast. Many fine varieties are 

 often found amongst newly-imported plants, some of the 

 most notable being vars. octilata and pallida. C. Bow- 

 ringinia is named after J. C. Bowring, Esq., Forest 

 Farm, near Windsor, a noted amateur. 



Cypripcdiiiiit Saudercv (Fig. 3). — ^This orchid has 

 doubtless created more interest in England than any be- 

 fore recorded. Botanically, this lovely gem is connec- 

 ted with the old well-known C". iiisignc, but for matters 

 horticultural, the two may be considered entirely dis- 

 tinct. This wonderful plant has just flowered for the 

 second time in England, and it is now in that superb 

 collection known as "The Woodlands," the property of 

 R. H. Measures, Esq., of Streatham, near London. 

 This plant serves us with an excellent example of the 

 great speculation of importing orchids, and of the great 

 beauty which might be lost to us forever were it not for 

 the skill and enterprise of horticulturists. F. Sander, 

 of St. Albans, imported a quantity of C. insigiie a little 

 over two years ago. There is no doubt that the impor- 

 tations made by this firm are of a first-rate kind, but no 

 such gem as this was looked for. A story goes that one 

 day Mr. Sander and his manager, Mr. Godseflf, were 

 looking through the imported plants of C. insigiw, when 

 suddenly Mr. Sander, catching hold of Mr. Godseff, ex- 

 claimed, "Godseff, what's this?" Something distinct 

 was noticed about the plant, and it was accordingly 

 watched, when lo ! a beautiful mass of the richest golden 

 color expanded, and C. Satidercr saw the light of day ! 

 Of course one can imagine the astonishment produced 

 by a pure golden C. iiisigiic-, and the plant was eagerly 

 sought by specialists, the gentleman above mentioned 

 obtaining the plant. C. Sanderce was not seen in its true 

 colors until this year, when it flowered with Mr. Meas- 

 ures. The leaves and general habit are those of C. 

 insig)it', but more refined in appearance. The flowers 

 area rich golden yellow, with a white margin to the dorsal 

 sepal ; the staminode is slightly darker in appearance, 

 and is highly polished. So far I have not seen more than 

 one flower on a plant, but this is owing to the smallness 

 of the plant ; doubtless as soon as the plant grows into a 

 specimen it will flower as freely as other varieties, and 

 then what a magnificent sight will be presented ! Only 

 two plants of this are known to exist in this country — the 

 one owned by the gentleman above named, and one by 



Baron Schroder. It is worthy of note that Mr. 

 Measures was offered no less a sum than a thousand 

 guineas for his plant, with three or four growths. When 

 I saw this plant it was growing amongst all the ' ' warm '' 

 cypripediums at "The Woodlands," and it was thriving 

 wonderfully. It is doubtful if ever again such a gem 

 will be found. 



Soliralia Xanl/ioleuLO . — The genus sobralia is one 

 which does not enter largely into the collections of or- 

 chid lovers, doubtless for the reason that plants do not 

 exist plentifully in their native habitat. Be that as it 

 may, it is an acknowledged fact that few orchids can 

 compete with the choice members of the genus, one of 

 which is the^subject of this note. Sohralia .xantholetica 

 is supposed to be a native of British Guiana, where it 

 grows on the hill sides and mountains in a very light 

 spongy soil, a great part of which is decayed vegetable 

 matter. This plant is one of the most easy to establish. 

 Care should be taken that the clumps selected have good 

 crowns or dormant eyes. They should then be placed 

 in a compost of light spongy soil. Sobralias are amongst 

 the tallest-growing species of orchids, and should con- 

 sequently be grown in a house where room is abundant. 

 Several new growths are made annually ; and these at- 

 tain a height of|from three to four feet, rarely more. 

 When these growths are ripened, flowers may be looked 

 for, and it is habitual for the plants to produce as many 

 as from six to twelve flowers from each growth. The 

 flowers are of a rich orange or golden color. The sepals 

 and petals are about three inches in length, and when 

 seen to perfection, an inch in width. The labellum is 

 large and trumpet-shaped, with a faint brown marking 

 on the entrance to the throat. The flowers are unfor- 

 tunately very transitory, and fade after having been 

 opened for a few days. The finest known specimen of 

 this plant is owned by Baron Schroder. 



Cyinbidiuiii Traceyaniim , — A new and decidedly hand- 

 some cymbidium has just been brought to light by Mr. 

 H. Tracey, Twickenham, near London. The way in 

 which this plant made its appearance is rather remarka- 

 ble. A quantity of C. Lowianuiii had been imported and 

 was sold by auction in London. Mr. Tracey bought 

 some of the plants and grew them. In its appearance 

 before flowering nothing could be seen that would lead 

 one to suppose that the plant was otherwise than C. 

 Lowiamini. When the flower spike made its appearance 

 it was noticed to be of exceptional size, and when the 

 flower expanded it was declared to be quite new, and 

 an acquisition to the orchid family. The pseudo-bulbs 

 and leaves are similar to C. Loiviaiiiiin . The flower 

 spike is of extraordinary size, about an inch in diameter 

 at the base, and gradually tapering towards the apex 

 When I saw this plant it was bearing sixteen large, hand- 

 some flowers. The sepals and petals are greenish-yel- 

 low, having eight or nine lines composed of crimson 

 dots and faint stripes. Each of the segments is fully 

 three inches in length. The lip is very large, cream 

 colored. The side lobes are striped with red, and the 

 front portion is spotted with the same color. The lip is 



