84 



THH ORCHID WORLD. 



[January, 1914. 



Cattleya Lawrenceana concolor, a variety 

 wholly of a pale lilac, although a Vote of 

 Thanks was the only result. 



On the same day Mr. T. Lange, of 

 Heathfield Lodge, Gateshead-on-Tyne, sent 

 a fine specimen of his fixed sport from 

 Dendrobium nobile, known as Heathfield 

 variety, and from which came the plants 

 which Professor Reichenbach named for Mr. 

 N. C. Cookson, D. nobile Cooksonii, and which 

 was afterwards certificated as such by the 

 Society. The Heathfield name not having 

 been published, the Committee decided that 

 it must bear the published and certificated 

 name D. nobile Cooksonii. 



The event of the year occurred on May 14th, 

 when Messrs. J. Veitch and Son exhibited 

 Brasso-Cattleya Digbyano-Mossiae, raised for 

 them by John Seden. This, the first hybrid 

 of Brassavola Digbyana with the large 

 flowering Cattleyas and La?lias, caused 

 considerable excitement, the result being 

 considered a marvellous advance in the art of 

 hybridisation, for nothing like it had 

 previously been seen. A First-class Cer- 

 tificate and Medal were justly awarded. 

 However, the Council evidently thought other- 

 wise, for at the meeting on June iith, Mr. 

 O'Brien stated that, as Secretary to the 

 Orchid Committee, he had received from the 

 Secretary of the Society a notification that 

 the Council referred back to the Orchid 

 Committee for reconsideration the First-class 

 Certificate recommended for Odontoglossum 

 egregium, and the Medal recommended for 

 Brasso-Cattleya Digbyano-Mossias, at the 

 meeting on May 14th. After some discussion, 

 the Committee decided that, seeing that now 

 all the awards were qualified by the number 

 of votes for and against being published, they 

 could not alter their decision, but left the 

 matter in the hands of the Council. 



The meeting of October 8th was noted 

 for the appearance of two albinos, Laelia 

 autumnalis alba and Laelia prasstans alba, the 

 former shown by Messrs. Veitch and the 

 latter by Mr. Wm. Bull. Both these fine 

 white-flowered varieties of coloured species 

 attracted considerable attention. Their 

 appearance was all the more unexpected as 



both Lslia autumnalis and Laslia pumila, to 

 which L. praestans is closely allied, had been 

 imported for more than fifty years, and 

 no white forms of either had previously 

 appeared. 



Orchid Nomenclature. The first year of 

 the Orchid Committee brought with it the 

 topic of nomenclature. On June ilth a 

 discussion arose as to the proper course to be 

 pursued in naming and rendering recognisable 

 fine varietal forms of Orchids, and it was 

 the opinion of the Committee that an 

 Orchid Nomenclature Conference should be 

 convened. It was also deemed advisable to 

 secure the identification of certificated plants 

 by means of drawings. 



Professor Reichenbach. During the year 

 i88g the Orchid world lost its greatest 

 authority and adviser. We cannot do better 

 than quote the following paragraph from 

 the Gardeners Chronicle for May i8th: — 

 " Reichenbach was possessed of remarkably 

 distinct individuality, which was as remarkable 

 as his curiously crabbed handwriting, which 

 few could decipher. Short and massive m 

 stature till his recent illness, with a keen, 

 penetrating glance and an aquiline nose, his 

 features revealed something of the impetuous 

 temper of the man and his occasional biting 

 sarcasm. His devotion to Orchids amounted 

 to a consuming passion ; not a scrap, nor a 

 note, nor a drawing, however rough, came 

 amiss to him if it related to an Orchid. To 

 him meals and clothes were necessary evils, 

 but his herbarium was a prime necessity of 

 existence. The amount of his work was 

 prodigious. Of its quality the botanists of 

 the future will judge better than we. One 

 thing, however, is obvious, and especially to 

 those who have had the opportunity of 

 comparing his work with Lindley's. In 

 Lindley's time Orchids were, it may be said, 

 counted by the score, while m our time the 

 estimate has to be made by the hundred if 

 not by the thousand. Lindley, with his clear 

 perception, logical mind, and relatively small 

 material, was able to trace sharply defined, 

 expressive characters in few words, arranged 

 with rare skill. Reichenbach, with a totally 

 different frame of mind, was overburdened 



