Plate 161. 



PYRUS MAULEI. 



The truly handsome-flowered deciduous shrub, figured on Plate 161, was introduced 

 from Japan by Messrs. Maule and Sons, of Bristol, and was described for the first time as a 

 new species by Dr. Maxwell T. Masters in the Gardeners Chronicle for June 13th, last year. 

 Our figure now given of the flowering branch and spray of fruit, was taken from living 

 specimens kindly furnished to us for illustration from the introducers ; and the profuse 

 flowering habit and brilliant coloration of both blossom and fruit, as shown in our figure, 

 may well speak for themselves. Mr. Maule says, that it does best when grafted on the 

 apple or thorn, and that it does not take on the pear. For shrubberies, woodland walks, 

 and bushy places in gardens, JPyr/ts Maulci, in its particular style, is almost without a rival, 

 and for these positions it can hardly be too strongly recommended. The flowers, which are 

 the chief beauty of the plant, are produced in profusion all through May till June ; and as 

 there is consequently a long succession of bloom, a considerable portion is pretty sure to set 

 and mature the rich apricot-coloured fruit in autumn. The latter, when ripe and 

 properly prepared, makes a conserve highly relished by many both for its rich perfume and 

 agreeable taste. The flowers are of a most brilliant, yet by no means deep, orange-scarlet 

 colour, of a tint so luminous as to make it almost impossible of reproduction in a book 

 illustration. 



Plate 162. 

 PHAL^NOPSIS PORTEI. 



We are indebted to Mr. William Denning, gardener to Lord Londesborough, for the 

 following interesting particulars of P/ialcenoj)sis Portei ; which species, says Mr. Denning, is 

 without doubt one of the finest of the genus. It bears a long drooping and branching- 

 spike, which will continue in flower fully four months annually ; strong plants will have 

 from forty to sixty flowers expanded at the same time. The sepals and petals are oval in 

 form, and in colour pure white, having an extremely pleasing transparency, which gives the 

 white colour a life-like appearance ; the lip is three-lobed, but the centre partition is much 

 the larger, and is spathulate in shape, with two slender hair-like appendages at the point, 

 otherwise the most prominent point of the lip is of quite regular outline ; its colour is of a 

 bright rosy-red, tinted with orange, making a marked and very beautiful contrast to the 

 white sepals and petals. The habit of the plant, and its foliage, is so nearly like P. amabile 

 that it would be very difficult to distinguish it by leaves alone. Its roots are rounder than 

 in P. amabilis, in which species they are flatfish in shape. As far as I am able to learn, 

 there were originally only two imported plants of P. Portei brought over to this country by 

 Mr. Port, both of which fell into the hands of E. Warner, Esq., of Broomfield. Mr. 

 Warner still retains one of them. The two plants are quite distinct ; as indeed all Orchids 

 appear to be if they are seedlings. Mr. Warner's variety has the sepals and petals of a rosy 

 hue, whilst the lip would appear to be even of a deeper red ; but the form is exactly the 

 same as in the subject of the present engraving. It is rather singular that this Phalanojms 

 should have managed to survive so long in this country, as only two plants are known to 

 have ever been imported; whilst thousands of P. grandiflora, and many hundreds of 

 P. amabilis, have been imported, and have gradually died. 



