92 
FLORICULTURAL NOTICES. 
were received by Messrs. Loddiges from Guiana, through the medium of Mr*. 
Schomburgk, and it is now producing its pretty blossoms in the Hackney nursery. 
The leaves are ligulate and mucronulate, being likewise rather small ; while the 
flowers, which appear in dense clusters at the extremities of the shoots, are of the 
usual pink colour of those species with which it is more nearly connected. The 
petals of the flowers are, however, much longer than the sepals, and have deeply- 
indented margins ; the labellum is attached to the column, standing erect in the 
centre of the flower, and expanding into a rich purple and delicately fringed lip. 
A succession of flowers has continued unfolding for nearly two months, and the 
beauty of the plant is not yet in the slightest degree diminished. 
Gunnia picta. — A very interesting little orchidaceous plant from New Hol- 
land. Its diminutive size, so far from decreasing its attraction, appears only to 
enhance it ; and, when grown on a log of wood, as is the case with a plant at 
Messrs. Loddiges', it having been retained on the block to which it was attached 
naturally when imported, it has a most pleasing appearance. The flowers are 
produced in pendulous racemes, and assimilate to some species of Oncidium ; they 
are pale-yellow, but most extensively and prettily spotted with reddish-brown. 
The leaves are rather more than an inch long, and the length of the racemes is not 
more than three inches. 
Oncidium stramineum. — Inferior in richness and brilliancy of hue to some 
other species, this is, nevertheless, a very neat plant, and constitutes an acceptable 
feature in the orchidaceous house. The flowers are of a pale straw colour, and 
are produced numerously on erect spikes ; the sepals, besides being concave and 
entire, are shorter and darker than the petals, which have undulated margins, and 
emarginate extremities ; the labellum is furnished with two crescent-shaped lateral 
appendages, and is liberally spotted with reddish-purple. Its leaves are remarkably 
thick and fleshy, ovate, acute, and about nine inches long. Messrs. Loddiges, we 
believe, imported this plant from Mexico, and in their collection it is now exhibit- 
ing its flowers. 
Witsenia maura. This singular plant appears to have been introduced to 
Britain from the Cape of Good Hope, so early as the year 1790. It has, however, 
been almost lost since that period, and we have now, for the first time, witnessed 
a specimen of it flowering in the nursery of Messrs. Rollison. It is altogether 
stronger and less branching than W. corymbosa, growing also to a greater height, 
and generally retaining its foliage throughout the entire length of its stems. But 
the flowers are its more remarkable features. These are large, of a deep blackish- 
purple at the base, and with bright yellow segments. They evince no disposition 
to expand, which may probably be owing to the unfavourableness of the season. 
They remain in a full-grown but contracted state for nearly six weeks. 
Erratum. — In page 69 of our last number, for Ccelogyne barbata read Cmlogyne ocellata. 
