Plate 65 . 
APHELANDRA NITENS. 
Tliose who are happy in the possession of stoves, can secure during the drearier months 
of the year many a bright and fragrant flower, which is far moi’e valuable then than at other 
times of the year — we do not mean what are called forced flowers, but those which 
bloom naturally at that season. Orchids furnish an abundant suppl}^, and amongst the 
Acanthacete, we And a good many briglit and free-flowering plants which are of great value. 
Tlie genus Aphelandra especially has many flue plants, one of whicli we figured in our 
former series, and now add another from the collection of Messrs. Veitch and Sons, of 
Chelsea. 
Aphelandra nilens is of recent introduction, and was imported from Guayaquil. It grows 
between two and three feet high, and is distinguished by the bright, glossy character 
of its dark green leaves, which are about six inches long and ovate, while the erect terminal 
flower spikes are four angled, and the individual flowers are very large and of a very bright 
scarlet colour. There are several others of nearly equal beauty to these, such as A. aurantiaca, 
A. cristata, A. Liboniana ; while A. Boezli will be perhaps considered by many the most 
beautiful of the whole tribe. They require to be grown in a mixture of two parts light loam, 
one part peat, one part sand, and to be placed in a temperature of from G5° to 75°. They 
also require to be well drained, and to be abundantly watered until the flower-buds appear, 
while especial care should be taken to keep them clear of insects, which sadly disfigure 
both leaves and flowers. 
Plate 66. 
VANDA CATHCARTII. 
Among the various families of Orchids there is notone which comprises nobler-looking 
plants than that of Vanda j and however beautiful other species of the family may be, most 
persons would give the palm to the very beautiful one which we now figure ; and although 
not a new plant, having been discovered by Dr. Hooker in 1848, and figured in the 
Botanical Mapazhie of 1870, its rarity and beauty both entitle it to the place we have 
given it in a record of new and beautiful flowers. 
It is stated by its discoverer to be a native of hot, damp, shady valleys in the Eastern 
Himalaya, delighting in the neighbourhood of waterfalls, where it is exposed to constant 
humidity ; and hence in their treatment it is necessary to give them constant care as regards 
moisture : they require frequent watering during the growing season. They should never 
be allowed to become dry, not even during their season of rest. “ They should,” says Mr. 
Williams, in his ‘ Orchid Grower’s Manual,’ in speaking of Aerides, which requires the same 
treatment, “ be kept perfectly free from insects, especially the dilferent kinds of scale. 
There is a small kind in particular which is apt to infest them, and v/hich if allowed to 
increase will speedily make the plants look yellow and unhealthy ; it may be kept under by 
washing with warm water and soft soap, applied with a sponge and left on the leaves for 
some twenty-four hours, when all remains of the soap should be removed with clean 
water.” 
The specimen from whence our figure was taken was flowered and exhibited by Messrs. 
Veitch and Son, of King’s Eoad, Chelsea; it has also flowered in the collection of Mr. 
Stead, of Baildon, near Leeds, and in those of other growers of Orchids, the difiicultiesVf 
culture having been overcome by the skill and perseverance of our horticulturists. 
