26 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[Xovcmber, 1914. 



Back Bulbs. — That it is possible for a 

 plant to have too man}' back bulbs is no new 

 thought, for when old bulbs have lost their 

 means of self support they become a 

 hindrance to the newer portion. Three to 

 four strong bulbs is generally sufficient to 

 support the new growth. Capt. Robert Twiss, 

 Birdhill, Limerick, sends us two photographs 

 of an Oncidium serratum which consists of 

 only two bulbs, each about 7 inches in 

 height, and a new growth, and carries a spike 

 of 67 flowers. The same amateur also has 

 in his collection a plant of Renanthera 

 Imschootiana which, although only g inches 

 in height, carries seven flower spikes. 



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Promising Seedlings. — Messrs. Arm- 

 strong and Brown have two interesting little 

 batches of seedlings which, apart from their 

 promising parentage, are worth}- of note on 

 account of the rapid progress they have made. 

 The first is between Cattle}-a aurea and C. 

 Lueddemanniana Stanleyi, which should 

 yield beautiful flowers of the albida section, 

 that is, white sepals and petals and a coloured 

 labellum. The seed was sown April 26th, 

 1 91 2, and the majority of the plants already 

 have six little bulbs. The other is between 

 C. Gaskelliana alba and C. O'Brieniana alba ; 

 the seed was sown September 8th, 191 2, and 

 most of the seedlings possess five small bulbs. 



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Cattleva Cl.esiana alba. — Although 

 C. intermedia and C. Loddigesii bear a close 

 resemblance to each other, they possess 

 certain unvar}-ing points which render them 

 easily distinguishable. Considering the fact 

 that both species are known to inhabit the 

 same district m Rio de Janeiro, one would 

 \ ery natural!}- suppose that hybrids would be 

 fairly plentiful, but such has not proved to 

 be the case among the countless number of 

 imported plants. Ma}-be this is because 

 collectors have only gathered plants in 

 districts where each species is fairly well 

 separated, and have not touched upon ground 

 where they grow intermixed. The first 

 hybrid which appears to have been noticed 



turned up with Messrs. Linden, of Brussels ; 

 while another, though perhaps the same plant, 

 flowered in Mr. J. Chamberlain's collection, 

 May, 1S94. Exactly two years later the Hon. 

 Walter Rothschild exhibited at the Royal 

 Horticultural Society a Cattleya bearing the 

 name intermedio-Loddigesii, and said to have 

 been imported from Rio de Janeiro, the 

 characteristics of the flower leaving little 

 doubt as to the parentage being correct. In 

 1889 Mr. T. L. Mead, of Oviedo, Florida, 

 U.S.A., flowered the first of a batch of about 

 100 seedlings, which he had raised between 

 intermedia and Loddigesii, this being duly 

 recorded as Cattleya Claesiana {Orch. Rei\, 

 1899, p. 72), and proving that the parentage 

 suggested in the earlier known plants was 

 correct. It is of interest to note that ]Mr. 

 Mead raised the seedlings on a small piece 

 of woollen blanket kept in the necessary 

 condition of moisture. All the preceding 

 remarks, of course, apply to the normally 

 coloured forms. Now we have the pleasure 

 of recording the flowering of a pure white 

 variety, the first one of a batch of plants 

 raised by Messrs. Armstrong and Brown, by 

 the use of intermedia alba and Loddigesii 

 alba. The result is of interest, inasmuch as 

 it shows the possibility of producing another 

 albino hybrid, and is likel}' to yield plants 

 of considerable vigour, judging from the 

 well-known fact that the majority of hybrids 

 are better growers than their parents. 



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Oncidium varicosum. — This species has 

 a bad reputation, for in few collections does 

 it maintain the \ igorous nature seen m newly 

 imported plants. There is, therefore, pleasure 

 in recording the success obtained by ]\Ir. Alf. 

 J. Paine, of Wanstead, Essex, who, it will be 

 remembered, contributed to our issue of 

 December, 191 3, an interesting article on the 

 cultivation of this species. Some old plants 

 m this amateur's collection have again 

 produced excellent spikes, one having the 

 large number of 251 flowers, while others 

 have over 100. One plant carries three 

 spikes, each 2i feet in height. 



