[Plate 49.] 



THE LONG-PETALED EPIDENDRUM. 



(epidendrum longipetalum.) 

 A Stove Epiphyte, from Guatemala, belonging to the Natural Order of Orchids. 



Specific Character. 



THE LONG-PETALEB EPIDENDRUM.— Pseudo-bulbs ovate. Leaves in pairs, straight, sword-shaped, blunt. 

 Panicle loose, much longer than the leaves. Sepals and petals alike in form, spathulate, stalked, blunt. Lip 

 posterior, free, three-lobed ; the stalk callous and concave, the segments rounded, those at the side erect, that 

 in the middle convex, much larger, notched at the end, wavy, with numerous elevated coloured radiating veins. 



Epidendrum aromaticum, var. of some Gardens. 



FROM a horticultural point of view, the genus Epidendrum does not furnish near so many 

 species worthy of the cultivator's attention as are to be found in some other genera of 

 Orchids individually much less numerous. One of the handsomest of all the species is E. 

 bicornutum, indigenous to Jamaica ; it has the character of being difficult to keep, in health, 

 but when subjected to more light and air, along with the warm treatment indispensable for 

 all plants from this hot country, it thrives satisfactorily. E. nemorale, a Mexican species 

 bearing graceful panicles of soft purplish flowers, and E. aurantiacwm, with its bright orange 

 coloured flowers, a native of Guatemala, are both distinct and beautiful kinds. One circum- 

 stance connected with the genus Epidendrum worth taking into account is the length of 

 time the flowers of most of the species last ; in this obviously important property they are 

 superior to most Orchids. The two forms of E. macrochilum — the purple and the white — 

 from South America, and the Mexican E. vitellinum, with its bright orange flowers, are 

 especially remarkable in this respect, lasting for a couple of months in fresh condition. 



The plant under notice is very sweet-scented, with a long straggling panicle of dull 

 brownish-purple and green petals relieved by a white lip, beautifully marked by straight crimson 

 veins on a yellow ground. It is a native of Guatemala, whence the Horticultural Society 

 obtained it, and requires all the heat of a good orchid house, combined with a long and 



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