1111-; ORClIll) WOULD. 



247 



A NEW LIST OF ORCHID 

 HYBRIDS. 



EUROPEAN alTairs have (.1 late caused 

 many an atlas or map to be consulted 

 in order to find some name made 

 famous by an episode of war. How often are 

 we all in error when attempting to pronounce 

 the names of various places on the eastern 

 side of this y'reat conflict. Not unfrequently 

 it is — 



"A name which \ou all know by sii^'hl very well, 

 But which no one can speak antl no one can 

 spell." 



Fortunately, the majority of names applied to 

 Orchids are not very difficult to pronounce ; 

 the word Przemysl has not as yet been 

 attached to any special production of the 

 hybridist, and we sincerely trust that names 

 of easier spelling may be used instead, for 

 " Thrice happy he whose name has been well 

 spelt." 



The need of a reliable reference book to 

 the names and parentages of Orchid hybrids 

 has long been felt, for the various bigeneric 

 crosses and the multiplicity of names are a 

 source of continuous perplexity and annoyance 

 to almost every amateur. On this account we 

 have pleasure in announcing that Messrs. 

 Sander and Sons have published an entirely 

 new issue of their " List of Hybrid Orchids," 

 containing the names and parentages of all 

 the known hybrid Orchids whether intro- 

 duced or artificially raised. 



This important and indispensable work 

 consists of two sections : the first, termed 

 Table I., gives, in the first column, the names 

 of all the hybrids in alphabetical order ; in 

 the second, their parentage or synony ms ; and 

 in the third column, the names of the raisers 

 of all recent productions. Table II. records 

 the parents, whether species or hybrids, 

 alphabetically arranged, of all the hybrids m 

 I able I., each parent thus occurring twice. At 

 a glance, therefore, can be ascertained the 

 name of any known hybrid from any parent. 

 1 his is of the utmost importance in a book of 

 reference, which should be so compiled that 

 what is sought for may be easily and quickly 



found, thus saving valuable tunc <iiid much 

 annoyance. 



For botanical [)urposcs a strictly scientific 

 nomenclature is no doubt advisable, and 

 certain international rules have been adopted 

 at various quinquennial congresses; but in the 

 majority of gardens there is no desire to 

 tlepart from the practice of keeping plants 

 under their popular and commercial names. 

 Consequently, Messrs. Sander and Sons, in 

 publishing a work intended solely for the use 

 of practical growers, have wisely maintained 

 the names under which certain hybrids are 

 universally known. For example, the hybrid 

 between L. tenebrosa and C. aurea is recorded 

 under the well-known name lummosa, instead 

 of the unrecognised Truffautiana ; Odonto- 

 glossum crispum x Pescatorei appears under 

 the name ardentissimum, m place of the little 

 used armainvillierense ; and the hybrid 

 between C. Mossiae and gigas is recorded as 

 Enid, and not under the earlier name Adonis. 

 In order to make the work as complete as 

 possible all these early and little-known 

 names are included as synonyms, in each case 

 with a reference to the names under which 

 their parentage is given. 



When the name of a plant has been 

 established for some considerable time, as, 

 indeed, have luminosa, ardentissimum and 

 Enid, nothing appears to be gained by raking 

 up a slightly earlier record of the same cross 

 under a different name, especially when that 

 name has never received general adoption. 

 The late Dr. M. T. Masters, when referring to 

 this subject some years ago at a meeting of 

 the Ro}'al Horticultural Society's Scientific 

 Committee, remarked : " Another of the many 

 difficulties IS that arising from the changes 

 which botanists, with good or bad reason, 

 make. Ought these changes to be followed 

 by gardeners or should they ignore them ? 

 When followed partially endless confusion 

 arises, as it is not practicable, so far as we can 

 see, to enforce universal compliance, and so 

 the same plant in one garden bears one name, 

 while m another it is called something else. 

 Should gardeners attempt to follow the 

 changes in botanical science or the fluctua- 

 tions of individual opinion they might be 



