TUE ORCIIin WORLD. 



123 



7 he Vanda cxrulca House of Mess. Maron & Sons, Brunoy, France. 

 Photographed Decemb^r 20th, 1911. 



VaNDA ChaRLESWORTHII. — This rare 

 hybrid between Y. tcerulea and V. Bensonii 

 has recently flowered in the estabUshment of 

 Mess. Maron and Sons, Brunoy, France. The 

 two parents grow together in Burma, and it is 

 not surprising, therefore, that an occasional 

 hybrid between the two should appear. The 

 flower has lilac-blue \eining on a greyish 

 ground, and the apex of the labellum bears two 

 rounded auricles, as in V. Bensonii. This 

 hybrid was first recorded in the year 1894 

 M. Maron, it will be remembered, flowered, in 

 1903, the very remarkable Vanda, Marguerite 

 Maron, a hybrid which he obtained by cross- 

 ing V. teres with V. suavis. From the above 

 photograph it will be seen how very useful 

 Vanda coerulea is for Christmas decoration, 

 the large blue flowers proving very attractive. 

 The plants in this house are almost entirely 

 without spotting on the leaves. 



m 



Stanhope A peruviana.-- This Peruvian 

 species is figured in the Botanical Magazine 

 for February, t. 8417. The plant from which 

 the figure was prepared was discovered by 



^Ir. Forget when collecting for Messrs. 

 Sander. It is allied to the Mexican S. Wardii, 

 but has smaller flowers with narrower petals, 

 while the hypochile of the lip differs materially 

 in shape and is not distinctly angled at the 

 base. S. peruviana is remarkable for the 

 unusual width and almost board-like firmness 

 of its dark-green, plicate leaves. 



The Aristocracy of PLANTS.^Orchids 

 are the most beautiful and curious of all 

 nature's i)roductions ; they are rich in every 

 shade or variety of colour ; in their habits 

 airy and fantastic, but always elegant ; replete 

 with the richest and strongest aromatic per- 

 fumes, or emitting the most refreshing and 

 delicate odours ; portraying in the extra- 

 ordinary formation of their flowers the entire 

 scope of animated nature, beasts, birds, fish, 

 insects, and reptiles, nor has the human 

 species even e.scaped their mimic caricatures. 

 This wonderful tribe of plants, I think, may 

 not inaptly be dominated The Aristocracy of 

 Plants. — Lyons Orchids, i8jfj. 



