134 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[March, 1915- 



VANDA TERES. 



SO long ago as 1838 Vanda teres was 

 regarded as one of the finest plants 

 known to horticulturists, so much so 

 that we find Sir Joseph Paxton beginning his 

 description of it in the following impressive 

 style: — "It may safely be asserted that 

 Orchidaceous epiphytes are the most 

 exquisitely beautiful of all Nature's produc- 

 tions. Rich in every shade or variet}' of 

 colour, airy and fantastic, but always elegant 

 in habit, replete beyond description with 

 every charm that can allure the senses or 

 enchant the mind, they totally eclipse all the 

 old inhabitants of our stoves, and moreover 

 present m their number and variety a field of 

 research to the botanical student and the 

 enquiring cultivator which, from the compara- 

 tiveh' little knowledge of them we yet possess, 

 appears really illimitable." 



Vanda teres is widely distributed over 

 north-east India, Assam and Upper Burmah. 

 It is always found in the hot plains and 

 valleys scrambling over the branches of the 

 largest trees and exposed to the full glare of 

 the sun. It was first detected by Dr. Wallich 

 in Sylhet early in the nineteenth century, and 

 living plants were brought home by him to 

 England about the year 1829. Among the 

 first to bloom were those in the gardens of 

 the Duke of Northumberland at Syon House, 

 and it is recorded that the flowers were cut 

 and presented to Princess Victoria. 



The terete stems are as thick as an ordinary 

 writing pencil, several feet long, and carry 

 leaves, from 4 to 5 inches in length, that are 

 similar m formation to it. The flowers are 

 3 to 4 inches in diameter, borne on whitish 

 pedicels that are ribbed and twisted ; sepals 

 and petals pale rose-purple ; the labellum 

 three-lobed; the side lobes roundish, convolute 

 over the column, tawn\'-yellow with bands of 

 red spots on the inner side ; the front lobe 

 with a broad claw and obcordate blade deeply 

 cleft at the apex, and of rose-purple colour ; 

 ?pur funnel-shaped, compressed laterally ; 

 column white, anther beaked. 



In order to flower this species successfulh- 

 special treatment is required, for although the 



plants may grow well when placed in a 

 Cattleya or warmer house, they do not 

 produce flower-buds unless the stems are 

 thoroughly ripened by prolonged exposure to 

 the sun's rays ; only during the hottest period 

 of the summer is any shading required, and 

 then during the middle part of the day for a 

 period of two or three hours. A temperature 

 of 100 degrees does not appear to be harmful, 

 although above this it is advisable to admit 

 air freely in order to prevent burning of the 

 leaves. The minimum winter temperature is 

 about 60 d egrees, and that of the summer 

 months about 70 degrees. 



A good method of dealing with the plants 

 is to place several in a wide pan, in which an 

 ample supply of drainage material is used, the 

 upper part being filled with hving spheignum 

 moss. During the growing season the plants 

 should be frequAitly syringed, always taking 

 care that water of nearly the same tempera- 

 ture of the house is used. This Vanda has 

 been grown very well when placed at the 

 sunny end of a span-roofed house, where it 

 can obtain the full benefit of the sun ; m this 

 case some means must be used to prevent the 

 other occupants of the house from getting an 

 excess of sunlight, or unexpected damage 

 may result. 



Maxillaria Sanderiaxa.— This elegant 

 species, undoubtedly the finest of the genus, 

 was discovered by Edward Klaboch when 

 travelling in Peru on an Orchid collecting 

 expedition for Messrs. Sander and Sons. It 

 was found on the mountains at an elevation 

 of 4,000 feet, hence it must be regarded as a 

 cool-house plant. Some of the earliest plants 

 to be imported passed into the collection of 

 Baron Schroder, who had the honour of first 

 flowering this species when under cultivation, 

 and exhibiting it at the Orchid Conference 

 held at South Kensington in ^Nlay, 1885, when 

 a First-class Certificate was awarded. The 

 sepals and petals are milk-white spotted with 

 sanguineous red ; the lip fleshy, three-lobed, 

 ivory-white with some sanguineous stains on 

 the side lobes ; column deep red above, w^hite 

 spotted with red-purple below the stigma. 



