November, 1914.] 



Illl-: ORCHID WORLD. 



39 



BARKERIAS. 



ALTHOUGH Barkenas arc ultcii 

 included 111 the j^enus lipidendruui 

 • it is ad\isablc from the cultivator's 

 purpose to keep them separate. Beiny; 

 natives of Central America and Mexico, they 

 may be expected to succeed well in company 

 with Laelia anceps. Plenty of ventilation 

 whenever the outside atmospheric conditions 

 will allow, a liy;ht position near the ylass, with 

 slight shading during the hottest period of 

 the summer, and plenty of moisture at the 

 roots during the growing season, are their 

 principal requirements. In order to preserve 

 the plants in a healthy condition during the 

 winter months the amount of moisture should 

 be considerably reduced. 



Barkeria elegans. 



Barkena elegans is the species upon which 

 the genus was founded by Knowles and 

 Wescott. It was introduced from Mexico 

 in 1837 by Mr. Barker, of Birmingham, 

 through his collector Ross, but it seems 

 to have disappeared from cultivation soon 

 afterwards. It was re-introduced in 1853 by 

 Mr. Linden, through Ghiesbreght, who 

 collected it on the slopes of the Guerrero 

 Mountains near the Pacific coast of Mexico, 

 north of Acapulco, where it is said to grow 

 chiefly on stunted Crescentia trees. The 

 terete stems are g to 1 2 inches high ; leaves 

 linear-lanceolate, acute, 3 to 4 inches long. 



Flow(Ts I J, inches across, of dark r<jse 

 colour, the lip whitish and with a large 

 rosy-purple blotch near the apex. 



Barkena Lindleyanum. 



B. Lindleyana has terete stems 8 to 

 1 2 inches in height, with leaves 4 to 5 inches 

 long. The many-flowered spikes ha\ e blooms 

 2 inches across vertically, of bright rose- 

 purple, except the disc of the hp which is 

 white. It usually flowers during September 

 and October. The variety Centerae has 

 larger flowers, with the lip more acute, and 

 generally of a deeper colour, especially the 

 apical portion of the lip. It is dedicated to 

 Mrs. Center, the wife of the then superin- 

 tendent of the Panama Railway. This 

 species was originally discovered in Costa 

 Rica in 1839, and flowered for the first time 

 under cultivation in 1841. The variety 

 Centcrae was introduced in 1873. The months 

 of November and December see this plant at 

 its best. 



Bark,eria Sl^inneri. 



