28o 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[Nov. -Dec, 1916. 



Odontoglossum gloriosum. 



OdONTOGLOSSUM gloriosum. — Only a 

 few years ago this species was frequently to 

 be seen m collections which contained 

 imported plants of Odontoglossum crispum, 

 more especially those of the Carderian, or 

 Pacho type. Skilled cultivators could detect 

 gloriosum by the colour of the bulbs, which 

 was more of a yellowish-green than that of 

 crispum, and when the leaves appeared they 

 were narrower and longer, while the flower- 

 spikes were branched. In former days, so 

 common was gloriosum that numerous plants 

 were destroyed almost as soon as they were 

 detected, but now this species is compara- 

 tively rare, and seems likely to remain so, for 

 it has not the attractive nature of present-day 

 hybrids. In its native home, gloriosum inter- 



crosses with crispum, and at one time the 

 results were described as crispum Ander- 

 sonianum and crispum Ruckerianum, but 

 when their hybrid nature was discovered, the 

 specific name crispum was omitted. Od. 

 Ruckerianum results from the crossing of 

 crispum roseum and gloriosum, and although 

 its parentage is similar to that of Ander- 

 sonianum, the name is still used to distinguish 

 the rosy tinted varieties. Andersonianum 

 first appeared in an importation received by 

 Messrs. Low and Co. in 1867-8, and was 

 named in honour of J. Anderson, gardener to 

 Mr. T. Dawson, of Meadow Bank, Glasgow. 

 Ruckerianum first appeared in Mr. Rucker's 

 collection. West Hill, Wandsworth, about the 

 year 1873. 



