408 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 21, 1891. 
to ask Mr. Hartlani to speak doubtfully rather than certainly upon the 
point, since unverified statements of this kind are apt to get into books 
and be stereotyped as facts. It has already been alleged that 
N. maximus has been found wild in Southern Italy, the truth being 
that we do not know as yet where is its habitat.— G. H. Engleueart, 
A 2 ) 2 }lesliaw, Andovev. 
- Blue Self Auriculas.—E eferring to Mr. Clarke’s note in 
your issue of the 7th inst. I may state that amongst some very fair 
seedlings that recently flowered two lovely blue sslfs have come pro¬ 
minently to the front—flat, circular and high class, almost similar in 
height, form, beauty and shade of body colour ; but one having an 
almost if not quite clear white tube on opening, the other a yellow 
one. The flowers on the latter, after some days, commenced to lose 
the intense colour and changed, until finally they became a dull 
reddish blue, and the tube a sickly white, whereas those of the former 
retained their brilliant intense blue to the end, and the tube its 
original clear white. I am not an advocate for interfering with 
florists’ rules, but if the above is usual may we not in striving for an 
orange tube (which I believe is thought the desideratum for a blue 
self) be straining after a shadow and losing the substance? Nature 
apparently is reluctant to allow the combination. For my own pur¬ 
poses I have named the lovely white tube one “ Whitethroat,” after 
our little summer visitor, whose advent adds a charm to sylvan beauty, 
whereas the other will have to exist under a number unless it mends 
its manners next season, of which there is little chance.—T. A. J. 
- The Eoyal National Tulip Society.—A ccording to the 
usual custom, a ballot has recently been taken of the growers of the 
Tulip about the country as to the most suitable date for holding the 
annual Exhibition of the above Society, with the result that by a 
majority of one it has been decided the Show shall take place at the 
Botanical Gardens, Old Trafford, Manchester, on Saturday, May 30th. 
From growers as far north as the Rev. F. D. Horner at Burton-in- 
Lonsdale, and as far south as Mr. James Thurston of Cardiff, comes the 
request for the 30th of May ; the Cheshire Tulip fanciers, and some 
further south, joining in the request. The Lancashire growers wanted 
the date a week later, but being in a minority they had to yield. Unless 
a very decided change comes in the weather, a change to warm southerly 
winds and bright sunshine, the Lancashire growers will scarcely have a 
chance ; and Mr. Samuel Barlow, writing on the IGth, said that he had 
not a bud of a Tulip showing colour on his bed on that date. It is 
likely those who voted for the 30th inst. did so under the influence of 
the burst of warm weather of the past week, as the votes had to reach 
the Secretary by the llth inst. Last year, through inadvertence in 
setting up the same variety of Tulips under different names, the growers 
met together and unanimously passed the following resolution :—“ That 
in future all stands on being staged shall, before being seen by the 
Judges, be examined by the Committee, in order to ascertain whether 
an exhibitor has staged two flowers of the same variety and class in 
the same stand, and if any such be found the Committee will inform 
the exhibitor, who will be allowed to rfeplace one of the flowers by 
another of a different variety, thus preventing the disqualification of 
any stand from this cause.” Eridently the Tulip growers are 
sensible practical men. 
Odontoglossum iiastilabium. 
A RECEXT issue of Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son’s “ Orchid 
Album ” contains excellent plates of the above-named distinct 
Odontoglossum, also of Cypripedium porphyrochlamys, Zygo- 
petalum Mackayi, and Cypripedium Lowi, with much interesting 
descriptive matter. Concerning the two first named we extract 
the following : — 
The plant now under consideration has been in cultivation 
nearty fifty years, and we have both known and grown it for some 
thirty years or more, having always held it in the highest estima¬ 
tion. The plant is said to grow as an epiphyte on the la'ge cable¬ 
like stems which overhang the lagoons and running streams in New 
Grenada, whilst it is found in other localities growing with various 
plants in la'^ge masses. It occurs at a lower elevation than many 
of the species of Odontoglossum, having been found at some 2500 
feet elevation, but yet is abundant at 9000 feet and even higher. 
The species is said to have been first detected by M. J. Linden of 
Brussels, and the first time of its flowering in England occurred in 
184G in the collection of the Duke of Northumberland at Syon 
House, Brentford, where in those days were gathered together an 
immense number of rare and beautiful plants. The plant whose 
portrait we now lay before our readers was a specimen which grew 
and flowered in our own collection at Upper Holloway, in the 
month of July in the year 1889. Its natural flowering season, 
however, is said to be from January to April, but it appears to be 
a very variable plant in its time of blooming. 
Odontoglossum hastilabium is a stately species, growing to a 
large size, the stout pseudo-bulbs being flattened at the edges, much 
wrinkled, and bearing on the summit a pair of leathery light green 
leaves, the leaves enveloping the pseudo-bulbs when young, being 
very fugacious, and soon falling away. The scape attains a height 
varying from 2 to 6 feet in length, the flowers being panicled. Upon 
one panicle imported from its native country we counted more than a 
hundred scars, which were the impressions left by fallen blooms. 
The flowers are some 3 or 4 inches across, and very fragrant, 
spreading, and showy ; the sepals and petals are nearly equal, the 
ground colour being of a creamy green or creamy yellow, barred 
transversely with numerous closely arranged streaks and blotches 
of deep reddish purple. The front lobe of the lip is broadly acute, 
pure white, more or less flushed towards the base with purple, 
which becomes of a deeper purple at the extremity. 
The plant thrives best in a pot, taking care that the drainage is 
kept perfectly free and open, and in good working condition. The 
pot should be of good size, for we have found this plant, unlike 
many Orchids, delights in a largish quantity of soil about its roots. 
The soil should consist of gool peat fibre (from which most of the 
fine particle have been beaten) and some chopped sphagnum moss, 
adding in the course of potting some nodules of charcoal, and 
pressing the whole down firmly. This plant thrives well with other 
species of Odontoglossum during the summer season, but during 
the dull dreary days of winter it should have a little more warmth 
than such kinds as O. Alexandra appear to revel in, and therefore 
we recommend the Cattleya house, or a temperature which does 
not fall below 55° or 60°. It should be kept rather dry at the root 
in winter if not growing, but by no means allow it to suffer 
through want of water. 
Cypripedium porphyrochlamys. 
The plant here depicted is one of great beauty, and is the 
result of a cross between Cypripedium barbatum Warnerianum and 
C. hirsutissimum. It is one of the few hybrids which have 
hitherto flowered, that have C. hirsutissimum as one of the 
parents. It was raised by Mr. Seden,atthe nurseries of Messrs. Veitch 
and Sons, King’s Road, Chelsea, and it first flowered in 1884 when 
it was named by Professor Reichenbach. From the great quantity 
of Slipper Orchids which have been raised and are coming on now 
to a flowering stage,^there are many inferior kinds, and many that 
have too close a resemblance to others already in commerce, and 
the same will be sure to occur from those unflowered plants which 
already have an existence, consequently a weeding out will be 
necessary, when some kinds which now stand high in favour will 
be cast on one side, but the plant here portrayed will occupy the 
first rank for a very long time, and we think will become a 
permanent favourite. The plant here figured was grown in the 
once famous collection of Cypripediums gathered together by 
F. G. Tautz, Esq., late of Studley House, Shepherd’s Bush, where 
the plants were maintained in excellent health by his gardener, 
Mr. Cowley, whom we hope to again see in charge of a still finer 
assortment in his new home, and also that Mr. Tautz may give us 
some startling novelties from his many hybrid seedlings. 
Cypripedium porphyrochlamys, being a seedling from two 
Eastern plants from warm localities, naturally enough likewise 
requires the temperature of the warmest house to grow it freely 
and to induce it to flower. It is an evergreen plant, having oblong 
leaves of a pale green, slightly tesselated with deeper green. The 
peduncle is erect. At present we have only seen it bearing a single 
flower, but as we have seen both its parents produce two flowers 
this plant may also be twin-flowered when it becomes strong. 
The flowers are large and brilliantly coloured, the dorsal sepal very 
broad, the whole central part being rich crimson with darker veins, 
and the apex snowy white ; the lower sepal is much smaller, 
greenish white, veined with green. Petals deflexed, the basal part 
yellowish green, freckled with blackish spots, and the edges 
ornamented wfitb black hairs, the tips violet-purple ; the lip is 
brown, shaded with purple on the upper side, paler beneath. Its 
flowers last a very long time in beauty. 
This plant should be growm in a pot and raised somewhat 
above the rim, the soil it requires being a mixture of light turfy 
loam, good peat fibre, some small nodules of charcoal, and a little 
sharp sand, the whole well mixed together, Before potting let the 
