THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
254 
V. insignis (Noble V.j; Java.—A handsome species; 
ground-colour cream, with stripes of purplish crimson. 
105s. 
V. Roxburghii (Roxburgh’s V).—A fine species; se¬ 
pals and petals yellowish, blotched with red; brown 
inside, light pink and white outside ; the lip is white, 
with a broad blotch of pink. 03s. 
V. Roxburghii ccerulea. —The only difference is, that 
the blotch on the lip is pale blue. Both varieties are 
well worth growing. 63s. 
V. suavis (Sweet-scented V.).—This is next to V. 
Batemaniana, if not equal to it both for beauty and 
noble habit. Though more plentiful in the country it is 
yet very dear, being slow to put out offsets. One was 
offered for sale at an auction in Messrs. Steven’s rooms, 
in London, and fetched the high price of 17 guineas. 
The flowers are large, produced on racemes from the 
axils of the noble leaves, sometimes producing as many 
as eight of its large flowers on a stem. The sepals 
and petals are white, beautifully and broadly striped 
with purplish crimson; the lip is white, finely shaded, 
and blotched with red. 
I', tricolor (Three coloured V.).—Much like the V. 
suavis ; the leaves are narrower and longer, and the 
flowers have a few stripes of yellow mixed with the 
white and crimson—hence its name. 210s. 
V. violacea (Violet V.); Manilla.—A beautiful dwarf 
species, very rare. The sepals and petals are white, 
tinged with violet; the tip is white, also richly striped 
with violet-purple, hence its name. 210s. 
Culture.— 1 he baskets for the large growing species 
should be, comparatively speaking, of a large size. 
Ihey should be filled with, first, a lining of sphagnum, 
and then with a mixture of rough fibrous peat, chopped 
sphagnum, and broken potsherds. They should, when 
small, be hung up about two or three feet from the glass, 
and kept in the Indian house in an atmosphere hot and 
moist during the growing season, which season extends 
from May to the end of August. After that time they 
should be kept rather dry and cool until the April fol¬ 
lowing; then the heat should be raised to 75° by day 
and 65° by night, and the atmosphere kept rather dry : 
this will ripen the wood and induce flower-buds to make 
their appearance. As soon as the buds are perceived 
the plants should be syringed freely, and encouraged 
liberally with water. In the cool part of the year hang 
them up yiretty close to the glass, that is, the top of each 
plant should be about two feet from the glass roof. In 
summer they may with advantage be placed upon pots 
turned upside down. This situation will afford a better 
opportunity to view them when in flower, and water can 
be applied to them more conveniently. 
SECOND DIVISION. 
PLANTS THAT REQUIRE TO BE GROWN ON BLOCKS. 
This is a very important point in the culture of 
orchids. The plants we shall enumerate in this divi¬ 
sion mostly grow in exposed situations on the branches 
of trees. The practice of placing such on blocks of 
wood is imitating Nature as nearly as we possibly can, 
in our artificial treatment of such tropical plants. The 
kind of wood best adapted for this purpose, and the 
method ot fixing the plants to the blocks, we have 
already described. It only remains to mention, that 
some require a little moss to he fastened to the blocks 
along with the plants; and others do not need such an 
addition, but are injured by it. We shall, as we describe 
each species, notice this peculiarity. 
Angracum bilobum (Two-lobed A.) ; South Africa.— 
Ibis is a most lovely species ; the flowers are produced 
on a pendulous raceme, and are slightly hut sweetly 
fragrant. The whole flower is of a pure white, except 
mg a small speck of pink at the end of the sepals and 
[July 25. 
petals. It will thrive better if a little moss is placed 
near the body of the plant to retain moisture, hut the 
roots must be allowed to protrude beyond it. 31s 6d. 
Barlceria elegans (Elegant B.); Mexico.—Sepals and 
petals light rose. This plant, we fear, is lost to the 
country. 
B. Lindleyana (Dr. Lindley’s B.); Costa Rica.—This 
species flowers in autumn like the next; sepals and 
petals rich purple ; the lip rich dark purple, with a 
blotch of white in the centre; a truly elegant plant, but 
very scarce. The only good plant we know is in the 
fine collection of R. S. Holford, Esq. 
B. Skinnerii (Mr. Skinner’s B.); Guatimala.—This 
plant is considered by some to be an Epidendrum. It 
is described under that name in the Botanical Register, 
but its habit and the shape of the flowers are quite suf¬ 
ficient to place it under the genus Barkeria. It is a 
lovely species, flowering in autumn, and lasts a long time 
in bloom. Sepals and petals deep pink; the lip is of 
the same colour, with a deeper tint in the centre. 21s. 
B. melanocaulon (Dark-stemmed B.); Costa Rica.— 
This is a rare species; exhibited for the first time at the 
Royal Botanic Society’s Exhibition, in June, by Mr. 
Barnes, gardener to R. Hanbury, Esq., of the Boles, | 
near Ware. The sepals and petals are of a lilac-pink; 
the labellum or lip has a curious spot of green in the 
centre. 42s. 
B. spectabilis (Showy B.) ; Guatimala.—Sepals and I 
petals pale lovely lilac, spotted a little with light purple; : 
lip white at the base and in the middle, lilac at the 
edges and point, and spotted with blood-red spots. 
Along the middle five purple lines are placed, below 
the column, which greatly add to the beauty of the 
flower. 42s. 
Culture. —As we have already written pretty largely 
on this genus in a former volume of the Cottage Gar¬ 
dener, we shall be, in this place, very brief in our 
remarks on the culture they require; and it is a happy i 
circumstance that all the species thrive best by one 
method. They require to be grown on blocks, without 
moss, hung up in the most airy part of the Mexican 
house; syringed freely whilst growing, but kept dry 
during the period of rest. They will, during that sea- j 
son, lose all their leaves, hut, if rightly managed, the I 
pseudo-bulbs will appear plump and fresh ; and the 
buds at the base of each will appear plump and promi¬ 
nent, ready to start into active growth as soon as the 
longer days of spring and the invigorating influence of 
the sun shall increase the temperature and stimulating 
light of the house. As soon as that season arrives they 
should be freely syringed twice a day, to encourage 
stroug growth : for in proportion to the strength of the 
growth will the number of the flowers on each syuke be. 
As the summer advances give plenty of air to the plants 
of this genus; they will grow stronger, produce more 
flowers, with higher colours. 
These remarks apply more particularly to all the 
species excepting B. Skinnerii and B. Lindleyana, which 
flower, as we remarked above, in the autumn; all the 
rest are summer flowering. 
Bolbophyllum barbigerum (Bearded B.); Sierra Leone. 
—Sepals and petals; greenisli brown ; the lip is covered 
with dark-coloured hair. 2Is. 
B. sanatorium (Dancing B.); South Africa.—There is 
not much difference between this species and the pre-' 
ceding one. The pseudo bulbs in the former are of a I 
deeper green, and the leaves are greener. The labellum 
of the latter is larger and of a lighter colour. 21s. 
Culture. —They thrive best on a block of wood with 
moss attached to it, and love, when growing, abundance j 
of heat and moisture. They do not possess much i 
beauty, but the labellum is the most curious part; the 
least air, or breath, or motion, sets them dancing up and 
down. On that account they are worth growing as 
