132 



PAXTON'S FLO WEE GAKDEK 



Among Oncids this purple-lipped kind is one of the best, being inferior to none except Lance's, 

 The contrast between the crimson of its lip, the greenish-yellow ground-colour of the petals, and 

 their rich cinnamon spots, is of rare occurrence, and produces a charming effect. 



Every one who has studied the genus Oncidium, or endeavoured to ascertain the names of his species, 

 must have felt the task to be one of extreme difficulty, in some measure owing to the want of any 

 sufficiently precise classification of the genus. What was sufficient when the number of species was 

 small, became useless as they increased in number; and that which succeeded has proved insufficient 

 in its turn. We have therefore endeavoured, upon a full review of the subject, to effect such a 

 classification as may meet the exigencies of the case, now that the discovery of new species has much 

 slackened, and that the main forms are probably ascertained. 



In the first place, it is necessary to eliminate all those singular and little known species, of which 

 0. serratum figured in another page, and Mr. Bateman's 0. microckilwn may be taken as examples. 

 These have very distinct stalks to their sepals, and a lip so much smaller than the other parts, as in 

 some cases nearly to escape observation. They constitute the true Cyrtoclulums of Humboldt, but 

 have nothing to separate them generically from Oncidium. 



In all the other species the lip is the largest part of the flower. 



Of these some have the leaves placed with their edges vertically, or " equitant others have the 

 leaves tapering, like an onion ; and the remainder have the ordinary flat leaves. 



Among the herd of flat-leaved species some have the side sepals united, more or less, so as some- 

 times to give the flowers the appearance of having only four divisions instead of five ; others, on the 

 contrary, have five divisions, unmistakeably distinct. The first may be called Tetrapetalons, the 

 second Pentapetalous, as we formerly proposed. 



Some of the Tetrapetalous series have the true petals considerably larger than the sepals. In 

 others, sepals and petals are of the same size. 



Among the Pentapetalous set some have the lip entire, although in most it is distinctly eared. 

 Some have it narrowest, some broadest at the base. Tor the separation of the narrow-based ear-lipped 

 species into groups, there seems to be nothing more useful than the modifications of the crest. In 

 one group the crest is a hairy cushion ; in a second, it consists of a very few (not more than four) 

 tubercles ; in a third, the number of tubercles is greater ; in a fourth, they are surrounded by 

 minute warts. 



In this way a dozen well-defined groups are obtained, under winch about 150 species, of which 

 the principal part are in gardens, may be readily arranged. 



The fine species now figured belongs to the section having a pentapetalous structure with many 

 tubercles on its crest. The remainder of the section is as follows : — 



1. 0. suave, Lindl. in Bot. Reg., 1843. misc. 22.— Mexico. — 



Like 0. reflexum, but the flowers are much smaller. 

 Sepals and petals chocolate colour tipped with yellow ; 

 lip yellow with a cinnamon-brown middle. Has a slight 

 agreeable odour. 



2. 0. SuttorJ, Bateman, in Bot. Reg., 1847. misc. 8.— 



Guatemala. — Leaves grassy. Flowers small, yellow 

 and olive coloured ; not worth cultivation. 



3. 0. tenue, Lindl. in Joum. Hort. Soc. iii. p. 76 ic. — 

 Guatemala. — A species of" little beauty, resembling 

 0. suave. Flowers small, yellow, mottled with dull 

 brown. 



