77 
ONCIDIUM CITRINUM. 
(lemon-coloured oncidium.) 
class. order 
GYNANDRIA. . MONANDRIA. 
NATURAL ORDER. 
ORCHIDE^, 
Generic Character. — Lip expanded, lubed, tubercled at the base. Petals spreading, sometimes only 
four. Column winged. Pollen masses two, two lobed behind, fixed by the middle to the com- 
mon process of the stigma. — Loudon's Ency. of Plants. 
Specific Character. — Plant a stove Epiphyte, with oblong compressed pseudo-bulbs, surmounted by 
two sword-shaped rather stiff leaves. Scape simple. Sepals and Petals linear-oblong undulated. 
Labellum dilated, appearing as if half bifid. Stigma round. 
This, although not so handsome as other, but less rare, species of the g-enus 
Oncidium., is, nevertheless, highly worthy of a place in the most select collections, 
on account of its bold appearance and pretty lemon-coloured flowers. Messrs. 
Loddiges, to whom we are indebted for its introduction, received it from Trinidad 
in 1835. 
Like the rest of the species, it requires a hot humid atmosphere : it is rather a 
shy grower, therefore must be treated with great care : one thing particular must 
be strictly adhered to ; that is, never to over water it at the roots. 
Dr. Lindley has pointed out the following characteristics as necessary to dis- 
tinguish this species from O. altissimum. " Its flowering stem is simple and not 
branched ; its flowers are of a pale lemon colour, very distant from each other, and 
by no means so much spotted j the crest of the lip consists of about eight warts, 
which are slightly downy, and not of nine smooth finger-like processes ; its stigma 
is nearly orbicular, and not long and narrow, and the wings of the column are 
exceedingly small ; and, finally, both the pseudo-bulb and the leaves have a singu- 
larly yellow tint." 
The generic name is given in reference to the tumours or prominences which 
appear on the disc of the labellum. 
