August, 1914.] 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



253 



HOLLAND HOUSE SHOW. 



MONG the numerous attractive plants 

 at the recent Holland House Show 

 the following" are of interest: — 



Vanda cristata, exhibited by Messrs. Stuart 

 Low and Co. A native of Sikkim, where two 

 forms are found : one at elevations of 

 2-4,000 feet, with racemes producing as many 

 as four or five flowers an inch in diameter ; 

 the other at elevations of 5,000 feet, and 

 carrying flowers nearly twice as large as the 

 former, but with only about two on each 

 raceme. The sepals and petals are yellowish- 

 green, the lip of similar colour, but having a 

 bold purplish-brown blotch. King and 

 Pantling remark that the pollen masses, after 

 removal from the anther, fall forward owing 

 to the bending of the caudicle, until they 

 ultimately rest on the gland. The species 

 was originally discovered in 1 8 18 by Dr. 

 Wallich, flowering in the month of April, and 

 described by him in a manuscript memoran- 

 dum as a flower of exquisite beauty. The 

 author of the specific name is Lindley. 



Nanodes Medusae, exhibited by Messrs. 

 Flory and Black. A most singular Orchid 

 from Ecuador. The stems are densely tufted, 

 pendent, covered with broad imbricated 

 sheaths of glaucous green leaves. The 

 flowers are leathery, about 2 A inches across ; 

 the sepals and petals yellowish-green tinged 

 with brown ; the lip large, orbicular, of deep 

 maroon-purple, greenish over the disk, the 

 whole margin deeply fringed. Of this species 

 Sir Hooker states : " Altogether, the flattened 

 stout culms, and the pale glaucous colour of 

 the foliage, and the extraordinary appearance 

 and lurid purple of the flower, give it a most 

 sinister appearance, and for an Orchid a most 

 unusual one." Lindley formed the genus, 

 while the specific name was given by 

 Reichenbach. 



Trichopilia suavis, exhibited by Messrs. 

 Sander and Sons. One of the ])rettiest of 

 Orchids, and a native of Costa Rica. The 

 flat, compressed pseudobulbs are monophyl- 

 lous. The flowers are formed on pendent 

 peduncles produced from the base of the bulb. 

 In colour, creamy- white, freely spotted with 



rosy purple. They emit a most delicate odour 

 of hawthorn. This species appears to have 

 been first flowered by Mr. R. S. Holford, Mrs. 

 Lawrence and Mr. Loddiges. The variety 

 alba IS worthy of a place in every collection. 



Lycaste plana, the Even-flowered Lycaste, 

 exhibited by IMessrs. Charlesworth and Co. 

 An elegant species with oval lanceolate plicate 

 leaves. The flowers are from 3-4 inches 

 across ; the sepals madder-red ; the petals 

 mainly white, witli a rosy crimson blotch 

 having in it an eye-like spot of white. It 

 was originally named and described by 

 Lindley, who states : " A Bolivian plant 

 imported by Messrs. Loddiges, with whom it 

 flowered in October, 1842. It is conspicuous 

 for the large size of its leaves, and is in fact 

 very near L. macrophylla, from which it 

 differs in the petals being quite even, not 

 undulated, and in the lateral sepals being 

 much more exactly oblong. Added to which 

 is a greater degree of bluntness on the 

 tubercle of the lip. The beauty of the flowers 

 of L. plana is far greater than in L. macro- 

 phylla, which wants the rich red-wine colour 

 of the plant before us." 



Odontoglossum Kegeljani. — -This compara- 

 tively rare species is afiiniated to the well- 

 known triumphans. It first flowered in May, 

 1876, with M. Ferdinand Kegeljan, at Namur, 

 and was described by M. Ed. Morren in 

 La Belgique Horluu/c, 1877, p. 212, a 

 coloured plate being included. This species 

 was subsequently described under the name 

 O. polyxanthum, a plant being shown by Mr. 

 W. Cobb, R.H.S., April 13th, 1880, when it 

 received a First-class Certificate. At the 

 recent Chelsea Show a strong plant was 

 exhibited by Messrs. Armstrong and Brown. 



Renanthera Imschootiana. — This red- 

 flowering species has proved of considerable 

 utility in creating a striking effect in all 

 extensive groups. It was first imported by 

 Messrs. .Sander, July, i8gi, and plants were 

 sent to Kew by M. van Imschoot, of Ghent, 

 during the same year. This species is closely 

 allied to R. coccinea and R. Storiei. Messrs. 

 Mansell and Hatcher and Mr. Harry Dixon 

 included several excellent specimens in their 

 respective exhibits. 



