86 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[January, 1915. 



ORCHIDS AT CHELTENHAM. 



TO one who is acquainted with the 

 groups that the well-known firm of 

 Messrs. Cypher and Sons display at 

 the Royal Horticultural Society's meetings, 

 a visit to where the plants are grown is 

 looked forward to with pleasure and great 

 expectations. The writer was by no means 

 disappointed, for the magnificent collection of 

 Cypripediums is of the first water. Not only 

 are there choice specimens, but all the useful, 

 showy and popular kinds are to be seen in 

 their thousands, while numerous houses are 

 devoted to Cattleyas, Calanthes, Miltonias, 

 etc. In fact, as Mr. Cypher remarked, " we 

 have a bit of everything." 



Taking the Cypripediums first, the various 

 forms of insigne call for special notice. The 

 peerless yellow Sanderse is well represented, 

 there being upwards of 200 flowers, while its 

 compeer in the spotted section, viz., Harefield 

 Hall, makes a brave show with 150 large, 

 well-formed blooms. Other varieties of this 

 old but desirable species are Cobbianaum, 

 Ernestii, Kathleen Corser, Sanderianum, and 

 the peculiar Oddity, which continues to 

 produce its malformed flowers year after year. 



A plant for later flowering is Cypher's 

 variety of Charlesianum, which is just 

 pushing up its scapes. The varieties of 

 Leeanum are much in evidence, and embrace 

 the beautiful Clinkaberryanum, with its flat 

 dorsal sepal, the true Corona, Gratrixias and 

 giganteum, several specimens of the latter 

 having 16 finely developed spikes. Near by, 

 the forms of Actasus are conspicuous, 

 especially Milky Way, Mrs. Page, an exquisite 

 flower with a large area of white on the dorsal 

 sepal, A. J. Balfour, and Drewitt's variety. In 

 pleasing contrast to these are the Westonbirt 

 variety of Niobe, Milo, with its twin-flowered 

 scapes, Tityus, superbum, Mad. Jules Hye, 

 the bright triumphans and eboraicum. The 

 chaste Boltoni is flowering freely, many spikes 

 producing two of its pretty flowers. 



Cypripedium Prospero majus is in good 

 form, while fulshawense Curtmanni, Eudora, 

 Minos Youngi, Standard, Amy Moore, Thalia 

 var. Mrs. F. Wellesley, and Sanacderas are a 



few from the 3,500 fully expanded flowers. 

 Many buds show that the display will be 

 continued for some time to come. A group 

 of seedlings flowering for the first time, and 

 as yet unnamed, prove most interesting. Many 

 will develop into good things, while others 

 will prove of more than ordinary merit. A 

 few of these crosses are Earl of Tankerville 

 X Euryades, Leeanum Clinkaberryanum x 

 Clio, nitens magnificum x Aeson giganteum, 

 and Niobe x Fairrieanum. 



Calanthes are well grown at Cheltenham. 

 There are exceptionally strong spikes of 

 Veitchii, Wm. Murray and the beautiful white 

 Harrisii. Many of the coloured varieties of 

 Laelia anceps are in flower, also a number of 

 scapes from the white forms. Other members 

 of the genus are Gouldiana, albida and 

 autumnalis. Phaio-Cymbidium chardwarense 

 is worthy of notice, although no trace of the 

 Cymbidium can be seen in the habit of the 

 plant. Another interesting plant is Gongora 

 speciosa, with its pendulous scape of peculiarly 

 shaped flowers, also Catasetum macrocarpum, 

 while of the numerous MasdevalHas, muscosa, 

 Peristeria, and the pure white tovarensis may 

 be cited as examples. 



Quite a number of Stanhopeas, Aerides and 

 Vandas are cultivated, especially V. teres, 

 with its variety gigantea, and the blue V. 

 coerulea. Among the thriving Dendrobiums 

 is a good stock of Veitch's variety of D. 

 Thwaitesiae, and D. Dalhousie-nobile is also 

 noteworthy. Epidendrum xanthinum is 

 making a good display, strong plants of 

 Lycaste Skinneri alba, each with several 

 flowers, and various Laelio-Cattleyas, such as 

 Charlesworthii and Clive, are to be seen in 

 the different houses. 



Coelogyne intermedia (cristata Lemoniana 

 X Massangeana) is represented by several 

 robust examples, and C. barbata has been in 

 flower for some weeks. In the same division 

 the pretty Epiphronitis Veitchii is in the best 

 of health, which shows that Mr. Cypher 

 thoroughly understands the culture of this 

 somewhat refractory subject. The same 

 remark applies with equal force to Bonatea 

 speciosa, which is pushing up three strong 

 spikes ; the plant has been in the nursery for 



