76 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[January, 1915. 



Catti.eva Dowiana Memokia Julius 

 RoEHRS. — Horliculturc, U.S.A., cunlains in 

 its issue uf Nuvember 21st, 1914, an illus- 

 tration uf this rarity which has just flowered 

 iVir the lirst time m an importation of the 

 species. The flower differs from the type 

 111 that the li}) IS i^old and orange-veined, 

 withuul a trace of any other colour ; m fact, 

 it IS an all-yellow Dowiana. The varietal 

 name is that of the late Julius Roehrs, 

 Kiillu-rfdrd, X.|., a man who tlunng his life 

 did much f(ir the cause of Orchid culture 

 111 the I 'lilted .States. 



CVI'RU'EDIU.M IXSIGNE GLADYS. -This 

 variet)- is generally reganled as one of the 

 purest of the albino forms, being entirely 

 without the minute spots and brownish hairs 

 that arc present on other all)iii()s of the 

 sjiecies. Mr. J as. Smith, of Arddarroch 

 Gardens, (jarelochhead, wishing to increase 

 the stock (jf this variet)', fertilised a n(_iwer of 

 the same with its own pollen, firmly belicx ing 

 that the resulting seedlings would per])etuate 

 the all)ino condition, as has invariably 

 occurred when msigne Sandera" has been 

 self-fertilised. A number of strong plants 

 were dul}- raised, and of the six that have so 

 far reached the flowering stage every one has 

 reverted to the typical coloured form of the 

 species. What can be the reason ? Mr. .Smith 

 sends flowers of both insigne Gladys and the 

 disappointing seedlings, and suggests that 

 insigne Gladys cannot be the true alluiio we 

 once thought it to be. 



Orchids from Streatham Hill. — From 

 the collection of Mr. Richard G. Thwaites, 

 Chessington, Streatham fdill, we have received 

 flowers of Odontioda Latona sanguinea 

 (Bradshawiae x crispo-Harr\'anum), one of the 

 finest yet flowered, of intense scarlet-red, with 

 flat and broad segments ; of Odontoglossum 

 Chieftain (Vujistekei x Rolfeae), a promising 

 variety of reddish-brown tint ; and of Cattleya 

 Leda (Percivaliana x aurea), in which the lip 

 is as large and fine as that of aurea. 



THE GIANT ORCHID. 



The following interesting note on the 

 Giant Orchid appears m a recent issue of the 

 AVa- Lhtllclin (1914, No. 9):— "The large 

 plant of Grammatophyllum speciosum pre- 

 sented to Kew b\' Messrs. Sander and Sons, 

 Bruges and St. Albans, in Ma\-, 1893, and 

 since then one of the principal features of 

 House No. 10, is again in flower. Owing to 

 its ha\ing been found necessary to reduce 

 the plant last year by removing the oldest 

 pseudo-bulbs, it has on this occasion only one 

 flower spike, about 7 feet in height, and 

 carrying over fifty flowers and buds. A 

 better idea of the capabilities of this remark- 

 able Orchid was obtained when the Kew 

 si)ecimcn flowered in 1907. It then de\ el- 

 oped three racemes ; the tallest attained 

 nearly 1 1 feet in height, and had, at one 

 tune, 8.: exi)anded flowers and 40 unopened 

 buds in various stages of development, the 

 other two racemes being only slightly smaller. 

 The largest flowers are commonly 0 inches m 

 diameter, and are borne on the lower half of 

 the inflorescence. The flowers have a spice- 

 like odour and good lasting qualities. Their 

 ground colour is dull yellow, heavily spotted 

 with reddish-brown ; the sepals and petals 

 are spreading, broadly oblong obtuse, undu- 

 late ; the lip is small, being scarcely i inch 

 long, three-Iobed, orange streaked with red, 

 the disc sulcate, with three raised plates, 

 bristling with short hairs. The column is 

 greenish-yellow spotted with reddish-brown. 

 G. speciosum is the most common of the 

 three or four species inhabiting the Malay 

 Archipelago and Malacca. In a wild state, or 

 cultivated in tropical gardens, it forms 

 enormous masses on large trees, producing as 

 many as fifty flower-spikes at one time. It 

 was first flowered in this country in 185 L 

 The Kew plant was one of the largest that 

 Cduld be found in the neighbourhood of 

 Penang. It was originall\- intended for the 

 Chicago Exposition, but, meeting with an 

 accident during the voyage to England, it 

 was decided not to send it any further. — 

 W. W." 



