April, 1913.I 
TIII^ ORCHID WORLD. 
'47 
flower at the same period, the cross was 
eventually made, and now several of the 
resulting seedlings have flowered, and prove to 
be identical with the original Sibyl exhibited 
by Mr. Cookson. It is worthy of note that 
Mr. Armstrong used the variety of crassinode 
known as Barberianum, which is a great 
improvement on the original form of the 
species, the stems being stouter and the plants 
of stronger growth. 
versus Cross Fertilisation. — 
The Gardeners' Chronicle, in its issue of 
March 8th, contains an interesting letter 
from Prof. Henslow regarding the following 
sentence which occurred in an earlier number 
of the same publication : " We know from 
Darwin's experiments that continued self- 
fertilisation results in certain cases in a striking 
reduction in the number of seeds." " If," 
writes ProL Henslow, in reply, " we substitute 
' abundance ' for reduction it would be equally 
true. Darwin's first conclusion was that 
' Nature abhors self-fertilisation,' but he with- 
drew it after studying H. Miiller's book on 
The ¥ eriilisation of Flozuers. Secondly, 
when I drew his attention to the fact that 
his experiments were already adapted for 
crossing, and neglected inconspicuous ones 
which are as habitually self-fertilised, he 
admitted the omission. Whatever evidence 
in Darwin's experiments appear to favour 
inter-crossing, they can be paralleled by 
others favouring self-fertilisation. The final 
result appears to be that in the wild 
state self-fertilising plants, though small 
and often annual, are far more prolific 
than those more or less dependent upon 
insects. All that Darwin's experiments 
proved was that special and careful crossing 
was a temporary stinuilating process ; but 
there was no proof that it would have been 
of any permanent value — that is, in a here- 
ditary sense — to the plants and their progeny." 
Prof. Henslow also remarks that teachers in 
schools persist in telling the pupils that self- 
fertilisation is " injurious," and that the 
offspring will " die out," etc. A complete 
fallacy ! 
Liparis nana, a miniature Orchid. 
LiPARIS NANA. — This interesting little 
plant, of which we give a life-size illustration, 
is a veritable miniature Orchid and one which 
may safely be included amongst the smallest 
members of the family. It was discovered 
growing on an imported plant of Cymbidium 
insigne in the establishment of Messrs. Hassall 
and Co., Southgate, who kindly sent it to us on 
account of its minuteness and singularity. The 
total height of the plant, including the inflor- 
escence, is only one and half inches, and the 
pet is one of the smallest sizes used for culti- 
vating these exotics. It is a native of Annam, 
terrestrial in habit, and has never been 
recorded until the technical description of it 
appeared in a recent number of the Kew 
Biillclin. Probably it could never have been 
imported alive by itself, its only chance of 
surviving the long journey being when under 
the care of the Cymbidium insigne, in whose 
mass of fibrous roots it remained undisturbed, 
and thus managed to exist until the 
favourable climate of an English Orchid house 
encouraged it to recommence growth and 
push forth the flower spike as seen in the 
illustration. It remains to state that the 
flowers are of a \ery dark purple colour and 
the formation of the labellum is characteristic 
of the genus. 
