THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[August, 1914. 



of more than a dozen golden-yellow flowers, 

 with the labellum prettily fringed and 

 pubescent. It was originally described by 

 Lindley in 1847, and has ever since been a 

 favourite where spring flowering plants are 

 required. 



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BULBOPHYLLUM TRISTE. — From Mr. Jas. 

 Smith, Arddarroch Gardens, Garelochhead, 

 comes the flower spike of this interesting, 

 though not very attractive, species. The 

 erect spike carries a drooping head of many 

 flowers, of dull-purple colour, except for a line 

 of yellow on the edge of the lip and on the 

 ovary ; the column is greenish, with purple 

 spotting at its base. It is a native of Burma 

 and other districts, and was originally 

 described by Reichenbach (Walp. Ann. VI., 

 253). The plant has since been presented to 

 the Kew collection. It is of interest to note 

 that B. micranthum was regarded by Reichen- 

 bach as a variety of B. triste, but though 

 agreeing in the general shape of the bulbs 

 and habit of spike, it differs conspicuously 

 from that species in the minute flowers. 



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" Die Orchideen." — Two more parts of 

 this interesting work by Dr. Rudolf Schlechter 

 have recently appeared. Part II. contains 

 attractive coloured plates of Cattleya 

 Mossiae and Dendrobium Wardianum, as well 

 as many black and white illustrations. Part III. 

 comprises a coloured plate of Phaius 

 Incarvillei and numerous photographic illus- 

 trations. The work continues in the same 

 high-class nature of production, and will 

 doubtless be greatly appreciated by German 

 Orchidists, as well as those in other lands. 

 The price of each part is 2m. 5opf. 



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Orchis HIRCINA. — This curious terrestrial 

 species, commonly known as the Lizard 

 Orchid, is rarely found in England, but 

 appears to be more plentiful in other 

 countries. Mr. H. G. Crosley, La Ferte 

 Bernard, Sarthe, France, sends two excellent 



examples, each spike having about 50 lizard- 

 like flowers, and emitting an unpleasant 

 odour. These plants were selected from 

 about half a dozen found growing under a 

 large hedge where they received a consider- 

 able amount of shade.- This species has also 

 been recorded under the names Himanto- 

 glossum hircinum, Aceras hircina and 

 Satyrium hircinum. 



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Trade Note. — Mr. D. A. Cowan, for seven 

 years representative of Messrs. Charlesworth 

 and Co., relinquished that post on July 13th, 

 in order to act in a similar capacity for 

 Messrs. J. and A. McBean, Cooksbridge, with 

 whom he has entered into partnership. 



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Masdevallias. — Miss Florence H. Wool- 

 ward includes the following note in her 

 "Genus Masdevallia, i8g6": — "The first 

 Masdevallia known to science was M. uniflora, 

 which was discovered by the Spanish 

 botanists, Ruiz and Pavon, m the Andes of 

 Peru, during their residence in that country 

 from 1777 to 1794, for the purpose of 

 exploring the Cinchona forests in the interests 

 of the Spanish Government. They founded 

 upon it a new genus in honour of their 

 fellow-countryman Joseph Masdevall, a 

 physician at the Court of Spain. M. uniflora 

 has never since been seen m its native habitat 

 by any botanist, and only the most persistent 

 enquiry has enabled me to collect the details 

 of its history given in this work, with the first 

 coloured drawing of the plant ever made. No 

 other examples of the new genus were made 

 known until i8og, when M. infracta was 

 discovered in Brazil by Descourtily, a French 

 botanisf and traveller, and this species, of 

 which living plants were imported in 1828, 

 was the first to flower in cultivation. In 1833 

 M. caudata was discovered, and during the 

 next twelve or fourteen years several other 

 species, and from that time onwards their 

 number has steadily increased, until, at the 

 jiresent time, between 80 and 90 are 

 cultivated, and many others are known as 

 herbarium specimens or by description only." 



