I T2 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[Februarv, 1916. 



Rhynchoslylis relusa alba. 



and described m Dr. Lindlcy's Solum 

 Orchidacciiw, under the name of Saccolabium 

 Blumei, on the occasion of its first flowering 

 in this country. It has since been gathered 

 in flower Burmah and in otlier localities in 

 the eastern peninsula. Long, however, before 

 the publication of Blume's Bijdragen 

 specimens of the Indian form, known in 

 gardens as Saccolabium guttatum, had been 

 transmitted to Europe, through which the 

 plant became known to Linnaeus, who 

 included it m his genus Epidendrum, as he 



did all the epiph\tal Orchids known to him. 

 The first notice of it -as a horticultural plant 

 occurs in the Botanical Register for 183 1, 

 where it is figured under the name of 

 Sarcanthus guttatus. In the letter-press 

 accompanying the plate Dr. Lindley states 

 that "he saw in 1820, in Sir Joseph Banks' 

 library, a specimen in full flower that had 

 been sent from the Royal Gardens at Kew," 

 and this was probably the first time of its 

 flowering in England. Ten years later a 

 plant was presented to the Horticultural 

 Society of London by the East India 

 Compan\- through Dr. Wallich, which flowered 

 at Chiswick in 1 83 1. From that time to the 

 present the species has been uninterruptedly 

 represented in British Orchid collections. 



Rh\ nchostylis retusa guttata, perhaps better 

 known in gardens as Saccolabium guttatum, 

 is said to be distinguishable by its longer and 

 narrower leaves, the flowers somewhat 

 smaller, but more numerous and more densely 

 spotted. Saccolabium Holfordianum (Warner, 

 Scl. Orch., II., t. iS) belongs to this type. 



Rhynchostylis retusa praemorsa, also known 

 as Saccolabium pra?morsum, possesses a more 

 robust habit, the leaves often shorter and 

 broader, and distinctly pra?morse (as if bitten 

 off) at the ajiex ; flower-spikes longer, the 

 individual blooms usualh' paler and with 

 fewer spots. 



Robert Warner, when describing S. Holford- 

 ianum, stated : " This makes one of the finest 

 of all plants for exhibition, as well as for the 

 decoration of the Orchid house. And here 

 we may remark that one cannot but regret 

 the absence from our London exhibitions of 

 remarkabh' fine plants, such as were seen 

 exhibited at the time of the Chiswick shows. 

 There they were frequently seen with from 

 five to ten spikes of blossoms, or even more, 

 t)n the same plant, and those who were in the 

 habit of visiting these gardens at the time 

 referred to often speak w^ith regret of the 

 absence of such remarkable specimens from 

 the exhibitions of the present day." 



In R. retusa alba there is an entire absence 

 of the amethyst-purple colour on the 

 labellum, as well as the spotting on the sepals 

 and petals, thus leaving the flowers pure white. 



