THE ORCHin WORLD. 



[May, 1914- 



other species of the genus, and in June, 1913, 

 it flowered for the first time. Sepals and 

 petals yellowish, lip purple veined. Very 

 fragrant. Allied to E. aromaticum, Batem., 

 and more especially to E. ambiguum, Lnidl. 



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CCELOGYNE OCHRACEA. — This pretty 

 species was originally figured and described 

 in the Botanical Register, 1846, from a plant 

 supplied by Mr. T. Brockelhurst, of Maccles- 

 field. The flowers are pure white with bright 

 orange-yellow blotches on the lip, and are 

 very sweet scented. A magnificent specimen 

 has recently been discovered by Mr. Chas. 

 Power, of Barrackpore, Bengal, who found it 

 growing at Darjeeling, at an altitude of 

 7-8,000 feet. This plant carried about 60 

 spikes, the total number of blooms being 

 about 4,000. A photograph, kindly sent by 

 Mr. Power, shows what an attractive and 

 beautiful effect is produced by these species 

 when in large masses. Under cultivation it is 

 only usual to see small plants with one or 

 more spikes, so little idea can be obtained of 

 its natural state. C. ocellata is closely allied, 

 but differs in having three or more wavy 

 keels on the labellum, whereas C. ochracea 

 has only two. It is of interest to note that a 

 part of the above specimen of C. ochracea has 

 since been forwarded to Mr. H. R. Sterrett's 

 collection at Heston, Hounslow. 



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Orchid Catalogues.— Amongst the 

 important catalogues for the current year are 

 those of Messrs. Charlesworth and Co., 

 Haywards Heath ; Messrs. Hassall and 

 Co., Southgate ; and Mons. Th. Pauwels, 

 Meirelbeke Station, Ghent. 



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Orchid Paintings.— The R.H.S. Com- 

 mitteeman who refers to this subject in the 

 April issue brings forward an important and 

 current topic, which I cannot help thinking 

 must sooner or later receive the attention it 

 deserves. The R.H.S. possesses a collection 

 of two or three thousand paintings which are 

 supposed to be faithful records of the flowers 



to which awards have been given. These 

 paintings are hidden away in the archives of 

 the Society, where the majority of them will 

 remain unseen or admired for some very 

 indefinite period. But there are occasions 

 when an exhibitor brings before the 

 Committee an improved variety of some 

 species or hybrid which has previously been 

 honoured by an award, and, consequently, is 

 represented by an official painting. The 

 method of procedure is to place this painting 

 alongside the flower of the new variety while 

 the committeemen form an opinion as to the 

 deserving character of the new exhibit, and, if 

 necessary, recommend a suitable award. Now, 

 it always appears to me, as indeed it does to 

 others, that we are not judging the old and 

 the new variety on an equal basis. In the 

 painting the segments, more especially the 

 petals, are invariably spread out in a 

 flattened manner, far more so than is actually 

 seen in the real flower, thus giving an 

 impression that may be termed diagrammatic. 

 In many of the real flowers the petals are 

 frequently reflexed, and one feels much 

 inclined to flatten them out, and to apply the 

 flower closely to the painting, for only by this 

 means does it seem possible to ascertain 

 whether or not any difference exists between 

 the one and the other. But, of course, this 

 privilege could not be granted, nor do I here 

 ask for it, but I feel certain that we often 

 make errors by judging flowers on a faulty 

 principle. Anyone who cares to have both a 

 photograph and a painting made of the same 

 flower will have this matter brought before 

 him in a very forcible manner. The camera 

 looks at the flower from a fixed aspect, but 

 the painting shows the various parts of a 

 flower as they can only be seen from more 

 than one standpoint. I remember a case in 

 which an Odontoglossum with rather reflexed 

 petals received no award because it was 

 shown alongside a painting which represented 

 an apparently superior variety, yet when the 

 flower was painted in the usual manner — with 

 flattened petals — it appeared to be infinitely 

 finer than the one which outclassed it 

 at the Committee table. — Another RH.S. 

 Committeeman. 



