January 12, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD- 
309 
NEW BOOKS. 
Veitch’s Manual of Orchidaceous Plants.* 
The fourth part of this useful work, which is now 
before us, is entirely devoted to the immensely popular 
genus Cypripedium, including Selenipedium, which, 
although kept up as a separate genus by the authors of 
the Genera Plantarum, is here reduced in rank with 
much propriety to a section of the former. The 
characters which separated the three-celled ovary of 
the South American Selenipedia from the more typical 
one-celled ovary of the Asiatic Cypripedia have been 
gradually broken down, and more completely so by the 
recent introduction of C. Sanderianum. Of the hot¬ 
house species constituting the section Coriaceie, which 
alone are dealt with in this part, the native habitats of 
some thirty are indicated on a map as far as science 
has been able to determine. Unfortunately for science, 
the localities in which new Orchids are found are not 
always made known, and this is specially commented 
upon, in the case of C. Spicerianum, in the following 
extract from the Botanical Magazine :—“The interests 
are however notable, from the fact that they grow on the 
stems of trees or in the forks of the branches. These 
are C. Lowii, C. Parishi, and C. villosum ; but under 
cultivation they conform to similar treatment as the rest. 
By a careful study of the map, it will be seen that 
C. concolor enjoys a wider range of distribution than any 
other species belonging to the section. C. Druryi is 
confined to the South of India, and is not only very 
isolated, but occupies the most western point of any 
in the group, while C. glanduliferum and C. Koths- 
childianum, in New Guinea, are the most eastern. 
C. Fairieanum is still one of the rarest, while its 
precise station is still a mystery. Noteworthy too 
among the mass of interesting facts recorded, is the 
reference to the highest price yet obtained for a 
Cypripedium, which occurred in the case of C. Stonei 
platytaenium, of which we give an illustration ; and 
the remarkable fact in connection with C. venustum 
and C. insigne, the first and second introductions 
belonging to the section, that no others were known in 
cultivation for twenty years after their appearance. 
on the Continent, and in the United States of America, 
that few collections are without a batch of seedlings, 
the result being that the number of hybrids in cultiva¬ 
tion has become practically indefinite ; and needless to 
say a considerable number find no place in their pages. 
That a severe weeding out of the more worthless or 
insufficiently distinct is required there can be no 
manner of doubt, and it is time that some check should 
be put upon the reckless practice of naming seedlings 
indiscriminately, simply because they are hybrids, that 
has been carried on during the last few years. How 
this is to be done, however, is at present not quite 
clear ; indeed, it would seem to be well-nigh impos¬ 
sible of accomplishment after reading (at p. 84) that 
the name of C. Fraseri was given by Prof. Eeichenbach 
to a hybrid between C. hirsutissimum and C. barbatum, 
or a closely-allied species, from a flower which was so 
withered before he saw it that no description could be 
taken ! When a botanist of such world-wide repute as 
Professor Reichenbach gives names to Orchids in such 
a loose way as this, what can be expected from gar- 
Cypripedium Stonei (a), and C. Stonei platytienium, the Highest Priced Orchid yet Sold. 
of science are unfortunately sacrificed to the desire of 
the sole possessor of any useful information regarding 
the native country (of a new Orchid), that these should 
be withheld from the public but the same might be 
said of several others, and notably of C. Sanderianum, 
C. callosum and C. Elliottianum among more recent 
introductions, the habitat of the first and last-named 
not being indicated at all. 
The species, varieties, and hybrids enumerated and 
described are given under three headings—namely, 
(I.) Eucypripedia, including the Asiatic species; 
(I.) Selenipedia, or the South American species; and 
(III.) Garden Hybrids of the preceding sections ; and 
when we consider the enormous increase of varieties and 
ybrids that has taken place in the genus during com¬ 
paratively recent years, we are surprised at so few 
being recorded and described in this work. In a short 
note on geographical distribution, the Asiatic species 
are described as growing on ledges or in crevices of 
limestone rocks, sometimes fully exposed to the sun, 
but more frequently in partial shade. Three species 
* A Manual of Orchidaceous Plants Cultiv 
P Great Britain. Part IV., CvDriDed- 
Veitch & Sons,5 44, King's Road, Chelsea, S.W. P 
Under 
James 
Ten species are described belonging to the section 
Selenipedia and their habitats are indicated on a second 
map. They are distributed over South America, from 
Bolivia on the west, and Rio de Janeiro on the east, to 
Chiriqui, (Central America) in the north ; but most of 
them are, however, confined to the west and north. 
In connection with C. Schlimii, much interesting 
matter is given with reference to its habit of being 
habitually self-fertilising, and its tendency to produce 
seeds with a freedom leading to its own destruction 
by impairing or weakening its constitution. More 
important, however, to the horticulturist is the fact 
that, although in itself weak when used either as a seed 
or a pollen parent, the progeny is not so affected. In 
evidence of this, we have C. Sedeni and a group of 
allied hybrids exhibiting great robustness of consti¬ 
tution. C. Fairieanum is another instance of a weakly 
species ; but C. vexillarium and C. Arthurianum, of 
which it was the pollen parent, are both vigorous 
growers. 
On the subject of hybrids, of which we have already 
observed how few the authors have recorded, the 
Messrs. Veitch very properly remark that “muling” 
is now carried on to such an extent, both in Britain, 
deners whose critical faculties are less keen, and whose 
means of comparison are of the most limited order ? 
Should a second edition be called for—and we sin¬ 
cerely hope that it may be, and soon—we would 
suggest that the work is worthy of a better index, that 
of Part IV. being practically useless to anyone not 
perfectly acquainted with the nomenclature of the 
genus. 
-»>-»*■- 
EUPHORBIAS. 
These are plants of a very useful kind, and are worthy 
of the highest cultivation for the quantity of flowers 
they produce. E. jacquinimflora is a well-known 
winter-flowering subject, and is generally grown in 
quantity for its fine crimson sprays, which are ex¬ 
tremely useful and elegant in the winter months. 
E. splendens is a peculiar plant, and grows in a 
straggling loose manner, producing thick and very 
spiny stems. This variety is best trained to a trellis 
or else to a wall in a stove, where it seems to luxuriate, 
provided its roots have room to revel in some rough 
mixture of soil and stone that will not hold water for 
any great length of time. It may be properly described 
