August, 1 9 14.] 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



259 



altitude. It always occurs on the borders of 

 the denser mountain forests, which have 

 below them either open or park-like stretches 

 covered with low bushes or coarse savannah 

 grass, and, above, the extremely humid and 

 almost impenetrable and luxuriant forests 

 that cover the Cordilleras at that altitude. 



The characteristic hygrometric peculiarity 

 of the whole region over which Miltonia 

 vexillaria is spread is that it is constant nearly 

 throughout the year ; even in what is called 

 the dry season the air is only relatively less 

 humid. The daily changes in the weather 

 may be thus summarised: — During the dry 

 season the day breaks clear, but soon after 

 sunrise a thick mist settles over the forest till 



about 10 a.m. ; it then ascends higher, and 

 the rays of the sun begin with difficulty to 

 penetrate it ; the air is Riled with a bluish 

 mist that shuts out the distant view. A light 

 shower of rain falls in the afternoon about 

 two o'clock, which often continues till evening, 

 when it gives place to a thick mist. During 

 the rains there is generally a light wind 

 blowing towards the mountains from the 

 lower river valleys. In the rainy season the 

 circumstances are nearly the same, excejot 

 that the rain is more copious, the drops are 

 heavier, and the showers of longer duration. 

 At times the rain is continuous for several 

 days in succession ; the atmosphere is then 

 at saturation point." 



HYBRIDS OF MILTONIA VEXILLARIA AND RCEZLII. 



vexillaria Roezlii 



! I 



vexillaria Bleiiana Roezlii Hyeanu 



! I ; \ i 



vexillaria Hyeana vexillaria St. Andre Bleuaiia Isabel Sander 



I I I I I I 



Genus: Miltonia. Section: Bleuana. Varieties: Hyeana, St. Andre, Sanderae, 

 Sanderiana, Isabel Sander and Jules Hye de Crom. 



It is well known to many that there is a 

 large number of hybrids of which no very 

 accurate parentage has been stated, and 

 although the names of certain species have 

 been given as their original ancestors it is by 

 no means certain by what precise method 

 they have been combined. As time goes on 

 the difficulty of nomenclature increases in 

 proportion to the successive stages produced, 

 and before long a large proportion of the 

 various hybrids in any particular section will 

 be very much alike, and will give but little 

 clue to their exact origin. 



The above diagram shows what has already 

 been achieved in the case of Miltonia 

 vexillaria and M. Roezlii. The original hybrid 

 between these two species received the name 

 Bleuana, and it aj)pears only right that 



all (jthcr li\ brids composed of these two, 

 and no other, species should be similarly 

 named. 



The results of various recorded combina- 

 tions have yielded hybrids known by the 

 following names : — Bleuana, Hyeana, St. 

 Andre, Isabel Sander, Sanderas, Sanderiana 

 and Jules Hye de Crom. In addition to these 

 many other Miltonia hybrids have been 

 produced by the use of vexillaria and Roezlii, 

 consequently they should also be included as 

 varieties of Bleuana ; some of these are 

 Charlesworthii, J. Gurney Fowler, The 

 Baroness, Bantingii and Adonis. 



M. Bleuana was first raised by M. Alf. 

 Bleu, of Paris, the cross being made in June, 

 1883, the seed sown in April, 1884, and the 

 first plants flowering in January, 1889. 



