September, 1912.] 



THK ORCHID WORLD. 



271 



brown spots near the apex and a purple line 

 round the edges of the sac ; the column is 

 pink. In its native country it flowers during 

 the months of November and December. This 

 species is closely allied to S. calceolare, with 

 which for many years it has been confused. 

 The two plants, state King and Pantling in 

 "Orchids of the Sikkim-Himalaya," although 

 much alike, are not really difficult of separa- 

 tion. In the first place they live at different 

 elevations and flower at different seasons. S. 

 calceolare is found between 4,000 and 6,000 

 feet, and flowers during March and April ; 

 while S. dasypogon is found at or below l,ooo 



feet and is in flower during November and 

 December. The leaves of S. dasypogon are 

 broader, and the apical notch is less deep than 

 is the case in the leaves of S. calceolare, and 

 the stem of S. dasypogon is shorter. The 

 coloration of the flower of S. calceolare is con- 

 stant ; but in that of dasypogon the perianth 

 may be pale or deep yellow, and either with- 

 out spots or with numerous spots. Finally, 

 the lips of the two differ. In S. calceolare the 

 sac IS smaller ; the apical lobe is papillose- 

 hairy ; while in S. dasypogon the apical lobe 

 has deeply laciniate edges and its upper 

 surface is perfectly smooth. 



THE CHATEAU DE ST. CROIX COLLECTION. 



WITHIN a short distance of Bruges, 

 Belgium, one may see many inter- 

 esting Orchids growing in the 

 collection of Count Henri Visart de Bocarme. 

 In the centre of a thickly wooded park several 

 spacious Orchid houses have been erected, 

 these being connected by a wide corridor 

 which also acts as a show house for those 

 plants which require a drier atmosphere when 

 in flower. At the present time there a.re 

 several excellent specimens of Stanhopea 

 oculata, one with seven flowers on a spike, 

 suspended from the roof of this corridor. 

 S. insignis with its pale yellow flowers spotted 

 with purple is another elegant species. 

 Chysis bractescens and many Cypripediums 

 are represented by strong specimens. 



The hot house contains a remarkable 

 collection of rare and curious flowering 

 species, almost all growing in small pans, 

 many of which are suspended from the roof. 

 Mention must be made of Cirrhopetalum 

 refractum, commonly known as the Windmill 

 Orchid, C. Thourasii, a yellow flowering 

 species from Manila, C. Roxburghii, and C. 

 robustum, the latter a very elegant and 

 strong growing Orchid. Polystachya bracteosa, 

 Bulbophyllum galbmum, B. Lobbii Calossus, 

 and B. congoensis are all healthy plants. 



Several plants of Vanda Sanderiana and a 

 varied selection of Angraecums are growing 



with evident pleasure, and the same may be 

 said of Houlettia Sanderas and the tropical 

 American Isochilus linearis. Anguloa 

 Ruckeri and Trichosma suavis must also be 

 mentioned. 



Numerous varieties of Laelia anceps occupy 

 another house, but owing to its north aspect 

 very little flower is obtained. Odontoglossum 

 crispum may be seen in thousands, and all 

 the well-known species of Cattleya are grown 

 in large quantities. At one end of the large 

 Cattleya house is a remarkable specimen of 

 Dendrobium superbiens, the recently made 

 bulbs being of immense size. Coelogyne 

 Mayeriana, Nanodes Medusa?, and Eria 

 polybulbon must not be forgotten. Odonto- 

 glossum citrosmum carries a seed pod the 

 result of being crossed with Od. cordatum. 



Masdevallias include many most interesting 

 species, and numerous seed pods have been 

 produced by uniting the species of the 

 different sections of the genus. Quite a large 

 number of Masdevallia hybrids have already 

 been raised, the little seedlings all growing 

 well in small pans. Of late years little 

 interest has been taken in these plants ; it is, 

 therefore, especially pleasing to see a large 

 part of one house devoted to their culture, and 

 it is to be hoped that the interesting work of 

 hybridisation will be carried on for many 

 years to come. 



