114 THE ORCHID WORLD. [February, 1916. 



Dendrobium MccCarlhia. 



DeNDROBIUM MacCaRTHI.E. — Particulars 

 of this species were sent to tlie Ro}'al 

 Gardens, Kew, in i-Sss, by Dr. Thwaites, 

 Director of the Botanic Garden at 

 Peradeniya, Ceylon, who had discovered it 

 growing on the trunks of trees in the forests 

 of the southern parts of the island. Dr. 

 Trimen has stated that this Orchid is getting 

 very scarce and will soon become extinct ; 

 it never seems to become established, and 

 he believed its life to be naturally shorter 

 than that of most species of Dendrobium. 

 In the forests of Ceylon it is known to the 

 natives by^ a name meaning May Flower, 

 although in British collections it often 

 flowers from one to two months later. It 

 is dedicated to Mrs. MacCarthy, wife of the 

 Colonial Secretar)- of the island when the 

 plant was discovered. Although Dendrobium 

 AlacCarthiae is a heat-loving plant, it grows 

 but slowly under cultivation. Sometimes it 

 IS as late as December before its last made 

 bulbs are matured. The best results have 

 been obtained when the plants are placed 



in a small amount of compost and suspended 

 in a lig'ht position. The plant remains as 

 long as two months in flower. In colour 

 rosy-mauve suffused with white, the lip 

 being a purple blotch surrounded by a 

 white zone. The Royal Horticultural Society 

 awarded it a First-class Certificate as long 

 ago as 1865, when it was exhibited by Mr. 

 Ainsworth. 



Cl.\y .Slabs for Orchid Growing. — The 

 following note appeared in T/ie Garden, 

 October 8th, 1881 : — For years I have been 

 using hard-burnt clay slabs in the growing of 

 many varieties of Orchids, and the plants 

 thrive on them remarkably well. These clay 

 slabs are of a rich cream colour, and 

 roughened to represent bark. Being 

 thoroughly burnt, no root-destroying fungus 

 is ever found on them. The slabs vary in 

 size, being from about 5 inches in diameter 

 up to 10 inches or more. — George Such, South 

 Atnboy, New Jersey. 



