4 
ORCHIDS AND SUCCULENTS 
■* ' * 
The orchid section was extended considerably during the year and 
more beds for Vanda, Arachnis, Aranda and other terrestrial types were 
made. Many of the older beds had to have the compost completely renewed 
and it was found more satisfactory to use very coarse, half-rotted compost 
which does not break down into dust so quickly. 
The number of flasks of seedlings has continued to increase, with over 
one thousand on the laboratory racks at the end of the year. The number 
of seedlings in pots has increased in proportion, but without a corresponding 
increase in space to house them. It was found necessary to dispose of sur¬ 
plus seedlings by sale, to which there was an immediate and enthusiastic 
response from local amateur and professional growers. The seedlings sold 
are all well established and of known parentage. 
Some fifteen new hybrids were selected during the year as worthy of 
being kept and named. One was given the name Aranda City of Singapore, as 
it is a large, handsome plant which flowered for the first time a few days 
before Singapore was raised to the status of a city. It is a cross between 
Vanda Dearei and Arachnis fios-ceris var. insignis, but although the flowers 
are large and of good colour and form, it appears not to be free flowering, 
for it has taken ten years to produce its first blooms. 
Of the new Vandas, Vanda Ruby Prince is the most spectacular, with 
its deep cyclamen-purple flowers. It is the result of a cross between Vanda 
Cooperi var. Cho Yam Neo and Vanda Ruby, and is an improvement on 
both its parents. Two good new Dendrobiums flowered, one called D. 
Champagne, in which some of the seedlings have flowers of an unusual 
clear yellow; the other called D. Lim Chong Min, with large flowers, up 
to 4 inches across, of a clear orchid pink. 
A number of strap-leaved Vandas, generally grown in pots, were planted 
out in compost beds as an experiment. They have done remarkably well 
under these conditions, especially Vanda limbata, which in pots flowered 
very occasionally, but in a bed made vigorous growth and flowered almost 
continuously. Other such Vandas tried out in this way were V. ' Dearei, V, 
sumatrana, V. Trisum, V. Kapoho, V. suavis, V. tricolor and V. luzonica. 
A number of Hawaiian orchid hybrids have been obtained in exchange 
for Singapore plants and of these several have flowered. The most specta¬ 
cular is undoubtedly Vandanthe Rothschildiana, which has grown and 
flowered vigorously, producing inflorescences of large, shapely, mauve- 
blue flowers, with as many as fourteen flowers open at a time. This is a 
cross between Euanthe Sanderiana and Vanda ceerulea, neither of which 
can be grown with any success in Singapore. 
The succulent collection has been maintained and increased both by 
new acquisitions and by propagation of existing material. Stapelia hirsuta, 
Stapelia glabricaulis, Echinocactus setispinus, Eriocer.eus Harrissii and 
Glottiphyllum erection all flowered during the year. Scale and mealy bug 
are the chief pests on the succulents but neither has become serious and 
they can be kept in check by regular weekly sprayings with insecticide. 
The collection of Saintpaullias (African Violets) was added to by the 
introduction of a white variety and a pink one from the Royal Botanic 
Gardens, Kew. 
