THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[March, igi6. 



The first essential point is the fact that 

 although Orchids in their native homes are 

 found growing" in a variety of situations, they 

 may be separated into two important 

 divisions. The first, called Terrestrial {terra, 

 the earth), includes those found growing in 

 the soil, just like ordinary garden plants ; the 

 second, termed Epiphytal {efi, upon, and 

 phyton, a plant), embraces a larger number 

 which secure themselves to the trunks of 

 trees, or other suitable places, at varying 

 heights from the ground. It will here be 

 advisable to state that the various remarks in 

 this lecture apply more expressly to the 

 Orchids usually seen under cultivation, and 

 not so much to the less conspicuous ones 

 commonly known as " Botanical specimens," 

 many of which require special treatment quite 

 outside the sphere of an ordinary garden 

 collection. 



Terrestrial Orchids. 



Of all the Terrestrial Orchids there is little 

 doubt that Cypripediums are the most 

 popular. In many gardens they form the' 

 only representatives of the family, and 

 although their cultivation requires a minimum 

 of skill and attention, they cannot be entirely 

 omitted from our consideration. Cypripediums 

 in their native home enjoy a remarkable 

 uniformity of temperature, an almost con- 

 tinually moist condition of the soil and a high 

 degree of atmospheric humidity throughout 

 the year ; under these conditions they 

 continue to grow, practically without inter- 

 ruption. With such surroundings as these, 

 ever in the most favourable condition for the 

 existence of the plant, there is no need 

 whatever for the pseudo-bulbs so necessar} 

 in the case of Orchids requiring reserve 

 material to carry them through periods of 

 drought. 



Briefly, the essential points of cultivation 

 are a fibrous, loamy compost, continual 

 moisture at the roots as well as in the 

 atmosphere, and judicious shading whenever 

 bright sunshine is likely to scorch the foliage. 

 Although the best results are obtained with a 

 minimum night temperature of 55 — 60 degs. 

 Fahr., there are many elegant hybrids, chiefly 

 of C. insigne, that will withstand without 



harm a temperature of 45 degs. Fahr. Even 

 with the Cypripediums requiring considerable 

 warmth but little harm will accrue if on cold 

 winterly nights the thermometer drops to 

 45 degs. Fahr., provided that the amount of 

 moisture is considerably reduced. 



Nothing is so detrimental to these plants 

 as a dry compost, a sunny situation, or an 

 airy and dry atmosphere. Speaking generally, 

 Cypripediums succeed well in warm houses 

 where ferns and other shade-loving plants are 

 cultivated with success. An examination of 

 the roots of a Cypripedium will show that they 

 are abundantly supplied with root-hairs for 

 the purpose of more readily collecting the 

 nutritive material from the surrounding soil. 



Epiphytic Orchids. 



Having somewhat briefly dwelt upon the 

 nature of the Terrestrial section, we will pass 

 on to the Epiphytic Orchids, which embrace 

 by far the largest number of plants seen in 

 collections, while their extreme beauty renders 

 them of first-class importance. To many 

 admirers of these wonderful flowers, the term 

 epiphytic does not signify much more than a 

 condition of " living on the air," from the fact 

 that many illustrations of the past depicted 

 these plants clinging to the trunks or branches 

 of trees, hence the expression " air plants." 



In order to understand clearly the nature of 

 an Epiphytic Orchid it will assist matters 

 considerably if we examine three distinct 

 methods by which plants " live upon others," 

 or, in other words, obtain their requisite 

 nutriment. 



(1) Parasites. These plants, of which the 

 Mistletoe is a well-known example, obtain the 

 greater part, if not all, of their nutritive 

 requirements from the plant upon which they 

 dwell ; they, in fact, steal their food from the 

 supply existing in the living organism upon 

 which they are situated. 



(2) Saprophytes. Not a few plants nourish 

 themselves by living upon decaying remains 

 of animals and plants and other organic 

 substances. 



(3) Epiphytes. These plants, although 

 often found growing on other plants, neither 

 steal their nourishment from the living nor 

 the dead. They have an independent exist- 



