126 
THE ORCHID WORLD. 
hot season is also the season of rams, and it 
IS then that the mass of the orchids, and 
ahnost every other tribe of plants, come into 
flower. 
If the difference of temperature between 
the season of wet and that of flowering be so 
great in the state of nature, it must be obvious 
that to grow them well artificially a somewhat 
similar state of things ought to be observed. 
The greater part of the orchids which are sent 
to England from the Organ Mountains grow 
in the region of the above temperature, the 
elevation being from 3,000 to 3,500 feet above 
the level of the sea. In an account which 1 
shall presently give of my visit to the summit 
of these mountains, which is more than double 
that elevation, I shall have occasion to men- 
tion several species which may be cultivated 
in a much cooler temperature. Another 
reason why no general rule can be laid down 
for the cultivation of these plants is, the great 
variety of soil and situation which they affect 
m their native country. Some, like Zygope- 
talum Mackaii, are terrestrial, and grow in 
open, exposed places ; others, like Warrea 
tricolor, are also terrestrial, but grow in the 
deep virgin forests ; some, like Zygopetalum 
maxillare, are only found to inhabit a parti- 
cular tree ; while others are found indiscrim- 
inately on all kinds of trees, on rocks, and 
even on the ground ; some, like Laelia cinna- 
barina, grow m moist places on exposed 
rocks ; while others, like Cystopera Wood- 
fordii, grow in a similar soil, but in shaded 
places ; some, like Maxillaria picta, grow on 
the most dry and exposed rocks ; while others, 
like Grobya Amherstias, grow also on dry 
rocks, but generally in the shade. The soil 
is very similar to that around Rio, there being 
but little alluvium, except in the valleys, and 
the under-stratum consisting of the same red- 
coloured argillaceo-ferruginous clay. Like the 
mountains round Rio, the whole of the Organ 
range consists of granite. 
Such is a slight sketch of the vegetation of 
the Organ Mountains at an elevation of about 
3,000 feet. What follows is the result of 
several journeys which I made to the upper 
regions of the range, the highest part of which 
I determined to be 6,857 i^et. Before 
reaching the steeper part of the ascent I had to 
pass for several hours through the dense and 
sombre virgin forest, where I met with many 
fine species of ferns and orchids. In crossing 
over a high hill I found the low trees on the 
top of it literally covered with various kinds 
of orchids, but, with the exception of the beau- 
tiful little .Sophronitis grandiflora, nothing 
new to me occurred among them. Several 
large plants of Oncidium divaricatum, a Maxil- 
laria, and some small Epidendrums, were also 
found in flower. 
On a shelving granite rock above a small 
waterfall there grew abundantly the lovely 
Zygopetalum Mackaii, the odoriferous Maxil- 
laria picta, and Grobya Amherstise, with its 
onion-like pseudo-bulbs. Early next morning 
the ascent was continued, and, while passing 
a wooded tract, I noticed a fev.- plants of Onci- 
dium Forbesii. The greatest elevation which 
I attained was about 6,000 feet, and I was 
rather surprised to observe that, while almost 
every tree had its stem and branches covered 
with the beautiful little Sophronitis grandi- 
flora, not another orchideous plant was to be 
found. 
^ IS 
LycASTE I.MSCHOOTIANA. — This hx'brid, the 
result of crossing L. cruenta with L. Skinneri, 
was first raised by Mr. Alf. van Imschoot, of 
Ghent, in whose honour the plant was named, 
and exhibited by Messrs. Linden at the Royal 
Horticultural Society, December 12th, 1893, 
when it received an Award of Merit. A 
flower of a very distinct and pretty variety 
of this hybrid has been sent by Mr. Johnson, 
Orchid gTower to Col. Stephenson R. Clarke, 
Borde Hill, Cuckfield. The sepals and petals 
are light greenish-buff, the former prettily 
splashed with rose colour on the apical half, 
the latter sparingly spotted with purple on the 
inner basal half. The lip is heavily veined 
and spotted with deep purple, the front lobe 
being bright yellow. Although both parents 
are well-known cool-house Orchids, the 
hybrid between them is rarely met with. We 
have, therefore, much pleasure in recording it. 
