October, T916.] 



THK ORCHID WORLD. 



249 



gathered together. Apart from the one repro- 

 duced, which appeared in a consignment of 

 imported C. aurea, mention may be made of 

 a plant which carried a spike of two flowers, 

 one showing particularly the characteristics 

 of C. Warscewiczii, the other partaking more 

 of the aurea parent. 



Years ago, when the habitats and con- 

 ditions under which these large Cattleya exist 

 were imperfectly known, it was stated : — 

 " The exquisite Cattleya Hardyana is, it is 

 almost certain, a natural hybrid between C. 

 Warscewiczii (gigas) and C. aurea. This fact 

 seems to suggest that a Cattleya farm or 

 ranch in a suitable district in South America, 

 where all the species could be grown side by 

 side in the open air and sunshine, will 

 eventually be the outcome of our love of floral 

 variation h~ere at home. What a happy life 

 for a hybridist, ever alert and patient, 

 industrious and reliable." 



However, there is no question as to the 

 wide use which has been made of C. 

 Hardyana by the hybridist. So far, about 

 seventy different crosses have been raised and 

 brought to the flowering stage, so, although 

 the Cattleya farm in South America never 

 became a reality, results far more numerous 

 have been achieved under artificial conditions. 

 As examples of Hardyana hybrids we may 

 mention the popular and richly coloured C. 

 Adula (bicolor x Hardyana), the fine C. Rhoda 

 (Iris X Hardyana), of which a coloured plate 

 appeared in the ORCHID WORLD, Vol. III., 

 page 21 ; the bright C. Naidia (iridescens x 

 Hardyana) ; the charming B.-C. heatonensis 

 (B. Digbyana X C. Hardyana), with its effec- 

 tively fringed labellum ; L.-C. Wilsonii (L. 

 Jongheana x C. Hardyana), with the throat 

 golden-yellow and the margin of the labellum 

 prettily crimped; L.-C. rubens (L. pumila x 

 C. Hardyana), one of the best of the pumila 

 type of hybrids ; the noble L.-C. St. Gothafd 

 (L.-C. Gottoiana x C. Hardyana), illustrated 

 in the Orchid World, Vol. III., page 288 ; 

 the richly coloured L.-C. Black Prince (L.-C. 

 bletchleyensis x C. Hardyana) ; the well- 

 known L.-C. Henry Greenwood (L.-C. Schil- 

 leriana x C. Hardyana) ; and the handsome 

 Sophro-Cattleya Blackii. 



HYBRID CATTLEYAS. 



OF all the Orchids the Cattleyas hold 

 the premier position on account of 

 their large flowers of bold appear- 

 ance, while for exhibition purposes their 

 utility IS unquestionable. Little wonder, then, 

 that the hybridists have devoted so much time 

 and study to such valuable material in order 

 to produce even finer flowers and novelties of 

 brilliant coloration. 



It appears impossible to quote any exact 

 figure as to the number of different hybrid 

 Cattleyas that have been raised, either in this 

 or any other country. Of those raised in 

 private collections many have escaped men- 

 tion in the horticultural journals, while others 

 raised in trade establishments have never 

 been considered worthy of a name, and this 

 for the fact that their place has been taken by 

 far finer results. However, the published 

 records show that at least 470 different crosses 

 in Cattleyas alone have been effected, by no 

 means a negligible quantity for one particular 

 genus. Laelio-Cattleyas are not included in 

 these figures or remarks, and their considera- 

 tion must be left until a later occasion, for 

 they form an even greater and ijiore complex 

 section. 



Individual opinions differ, and probably 

 always will, as to the various academical 

 points that render a flower meritorious or 

 otherwise. After a certain number of years 

 we no longer cherish the same hybrid, for the 

 reason that far finer results have been pro- 

 duced, hence many of the hybrids which 

 received awards when exhibited twenty or 

 more years ago would not receive recognition 

 at the present time. In order to eliminate the 

 older as well as the poorer hybrids it will be 

 convenient if we consider only the hybrid 

 Cattleyas which have received awards at the 

 Royal Horticultural Society during the last 

 fifteen years, that is, from January 1st, 1901, 

 to December 31st, 1915. By adopting the 

 decision of this Society's Orchid Committee 

 all extreme individual opinion is nullified, as 

 awards are only given when the voting shows 

 a majority of two-thirds in favour of the plant. 

 During the above period 1 74 hybrid Cattleyas 



VOL. VI. 



33 



