THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[October, 191 3. 



than those subsequently collected, being over 

 two feet high, with the leaf five inches long 

 and the scape bearing as many as twelve 

 flowers. There is no note of their colour. 

 Lindley's remark that the lip is destitute of 

 elevations is erroneous, as was pointed out 

 by Reichenbach. There are other Brazilian 

 species from the same region with small 

 flowers and a much crisped lip, but none 

 that appear to have been confused with 

 L. caulescens. It would be interesting if 

 someone would re-collect these plants, paying 

 particular attention to the conditions under 

 which they grow and the colour of the 

 flowers." 



U U ^4 



Miseries of Orchids. — At the present 

 time there is no small amount of uncertainty 

 regarding the merits of the smaller flowering 

 species of Orchids. For some considerable 

 period they have been classed as " Botanical," 

 although no one seems fully certain whether 

 the Orchid or Scientific Committees of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society should take 

 charge of them. They are now vmfortunately 

 wandering hopelessly about, and are sadly in 

 need of some parental care. When the 

 Orchid Committee was responsible for the 

 " Botanical Certificate " many pleasing little 

 gems were exhibited, but since the right of 

 granting this certificate has been said to 

 belong to the Scientific Committee fewer 

 specimens have been shown. However, this 

 may be only a slight reverse in the history 

 of their cultivation, although not the first one, 

 for they have before now been placed in 

 the unpleasant condition of misery, as the 

 following official report in the Society's 

 J ournal proves : " February 20th, 1 866. 

 From the garden of Mr. W. Wilson Saunders 

 was brought up by his gardener, Mr. Green, 

 a little group of what are sometimes called 

 ' Miseries of Orchids ' — minute flowering 

 species, interesting only to botanists. Among 

 them were a supposed species of Leochilus, 

 of little beauty, but having a scent like that 

 of heliotrope, especially when the sun shines 

 on the flowers ; Epidendrum Hormidium, the 

 blossoms of which smelt like fresh gathered 



primroses ; Pelexia triloba, remarkable for 

 the beauty of its structure ; Bletia teretifolia, 

 Maxillaria pulchella, a Pleurothallis, an Eria 

 from Assam, and some others. Most of these 

 were fastened to thin slabs of wood or cork, 

 on which they were found to succeed best. 

 They require a continuous supply of moisture, 

 not only in the atmosphere, but also about 

 their roots ; and this is obtained by wetting 

 both sides of the wood on which they grow 

 with a syringe." 



•iM- % ^-A 



Odontonia BRUGENSIS — A choice variety 

 of this new hybrid has recently been exhibited 

 by Mr. J. Gurney Fowler, and awarded a 

 First-class Certificate. It is the result of 

 crossing O. Edwardii and M. vexillaria, and 

 shows how the various genera are being 

 connected by the hybridist. Although many 

 flowers are produced on an Edwardii spike, 

 the individual blooms are small, and we 

 cannot therefore expect much more than this 

 with its hybrids. The crosses between O. 

 Ed wardu and other Odontoglossums are 

 numerous, and the flowers very similar in 

 shape and colour. It is only when secondary 

 hybrids are produced that we obtain an 

 increased size of bloom, without losing too 

 much of the rich purple pigment of Edwardii. 

 But however satisfactory these Odonto- 

 glossum crosses may be they will never 

 produce flowers larger than the type. 

 Hybridists bearing this fact in mind, have 

 now succeeded in crossing O. Edwardii with 

 M. vexillaria, and have thus combined the 

 rich purple colour of the one with the large 

 size of the other. The result may be 

 considered quite equal to expectations, the 

 flowers of the hybrid being about two inches 

 across, of a rose-purple colour, and the 

 spike having the graceful bending habit of 

 vexillaria, although slightly longer. 



?J ^ II 



Orchid Catalogue.— Messrs. A. J. 

 Keeling and Sons have issued a new illus- 

 trated catalogue of Orchids, comprising 1,432 

 items and special offers. 



