172 
THE ORCHID WORLD. 
[May, 1913. 
IS able to make rapid headway with his work. 
Cypripedium Roundhead has been raised by 
Mr. H. G. Alexander, and when exhibited by 
Lieiit.-Col. Sir George Holford, K.C.V.O., at 
the Royal Horticultural .Society, April ist, 
191 3, a First-class Certificate was awarded. 
Cymbidium Humblotii. 
Cymbidium Hu:\iblotii. — This rare 
Mactagascan Cymbidium was originally 
discovered by Mr. Humblot, and first flowered 
in Europe by Mr. C. Ingram, of Godalming, 
who exhibited the plant at the Royal 
Horticultural Society, June 7th, 1892, when a 
Botanical Certificate was awarded. Little 
more appears to have been heard of the 
species until Mr. Peetcrs, of Brussels, 
exhibited a plant at the Holland House Show, 
June, 1907, when it obtained an Award of 
A'lerit. Some two or three years ago Messrs. 
Charlesworth received a few newly-imported 
specimens from Madagascar, which under 
careful cultivation have exceeded all 
expectations. The plant is a robust grower, 
with stout rhizomes of an ascending nature, 
and the leaves arranged in fan-like form. The 
inflorescence is remarkably distinct, having 
numerous branches, and, when fully 
de\ eloped, carrying about 1 50 flowers of light 
greenish-yellow colour. The sepals thick and 
fleshy, the petals inclined forward over the 
column, and slightly spotted on the lower 
inner half. The labellum is much crisped at 
the apex, the side lobes carried upwards over 
the column ; the centre raised portion of the 
median lobe golden-yellow, and the whole 
heavily spotted with black, and having a 
narrow black margin round the extreme edge. 
The illustration shows a life-size flower from 
the plant exhibited by Messrs. Charlesworth 
and Co., at the Royal Horticultural Society, 
April 1st, 191 3, when a First-class Certificate 
and Cultural Commendation were awarded. 
Odontoglossum Cervantesii. — One of 
the neatest and prettiest species of cool house 
Orchids is to be seen in Odontoglossum 
Cervantesii. It much resembles the better 
known Od. Rossii, but chiefly differs in 
having concentric broken crimson bands on 
the lower part of the sepals and petals. The 
close resemblance which these markings have 
to the web of a spider have caused the plant 
to be known as the Spider Web Orchid. In 
the Botanical Register, of July, 1845, good 
illustration of this species is given, together 
with the method of culture in vogue at that 
time. This information, when compared with 
that of the present day, shows how great a 
change has taken place, not only in regard to 
the temperature, but also in the potting com- 
post. The Orchid grower of 1845 was advised 
to treat the Odontoglossum Cervantesii as 
follows: — "It should be potted in turfy 
heath-mould in the same way that Orchida- 
ceous plants generally are. In summer an 
ample supply of water should be given, and 
the temperature kept up to about 80 degrees 
by day and about 70 degrees by night. In 
autumn as the pseudo-bulbs become matured, 
water should gradually be withheld, and for 
a few weeks in winter little or none will be 
required, providing the house can be filled 
with steam for about half-an-hour every fine 
day. Although many plants in this order 
succeed well on blocks of wood, without any 
soil whatever, still those under pot culture are 
