September 26, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
57 
about the lower parts of the trunk, and in full bloom, 
filling the still forest air with its delightful fragrance 
for a great distance around. Here also were a few 
pieces of that curious little species, Dendrobium 
lingueforme, adhering to the trunks of trees. Speak¬ 
ing of growing Orchids on fallen trees and decaying 
branches, I am tempted to remark that the general 
experience is that they soon lose substance and 
decline in health with the decay of the wood, and 
ultimately perish altogether. 
Dendrobium teretifolium, unlike any of the 
previously named species, is chiefly found in the low- 
lying marshy swamps bordering on the lakes, and 
almost exclusively confines itself to one species of 
tree known here as the Swamp Oak (Casuarina 
torulosa). This spring, after a six mile ride through 
a dense bush, I came across a thinly studded area 
about one mile long, in full bloom. The flowers, 
were borne on branching pendulous spikes about i ft. 
long, and 8 ins. through, carrying from forty to sixty 
flowers very delicately perfumed. They had a 
singularly pretty effect as each feathery-looking 
spike waved to and fro with every motion of the air. 
Very noticeable in this forest was the evenness with 
which the plants were distributed throughout its 
entire length. One plant to each tree was the rule, 
and two the exception, and almost every plant was 
within a measured line of from 5 to 7 ft. from the 
ground. The roots have a very straggling habit. 
Some I measured, and found to be 4 ft. down and 
3 ft. 6 ins. up the trunk of the tree on which it grew, 
taking the base of the plant as the point of measure¬ 
ment. This is difficult to establish after being torn 
from its native home. 
In concluding these notes I can only express my 
astonishment at the success of English cultivators, 
seeing that each species has its own peculiarities 
and favourite localities, which are all very marked 
in their natural state. It may not be out of place to 
say here also what a great advantage to growers it 
would be if one here and there of the many English 
gardeners scattered throughout the world would 
relate in The Gardening World some account of 
what they see of the natural habits of the members 
of this most interesting family. By so doing they 
would furnish their professional friends at home with 
a mass of information, which would be alike instruc¬ 
tive and interesting.— G. H. K., Palmdale, Ourimbah, 
New South Wales, 1891. 
*♦'- 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS, 
Orchid Growers' Calander. 
It is a general practice about this time of the year to 
go over the cool house Orchids and top dress them. 
This practice is often carried to excess, doing damage 
—rather than good—to the plants. If the material 
in which the plants are growing has become sour 
and so prevents the sphagnum growing, it will be 
found better practice to re-pot the plant in fresh 
sweet material than to place fresh material on the 
surface and leave the evil at the roots alone. This 
is where the danger of top dressing arises, so that 
where the system is practised it ought to be done 
with great care, and then only to those where the 
material at the roots is in good condition. Where 
the sphagnum is growing luxuriantly it should be 
pressed firmly down, so that the pseudo-bulbs are 
exposed to the influence of the light and air. 
The syringe may be used in the morning and 
afternoon of fine days, closing the house early, and 
admitting a little air again towards evening, which 
may be allowed to remain on during the night in 
mild weather. The temperature of the cool house 
will remain the same, 559 at night with a rise of io° 
during the day. The Cattleya house 65° at night 
with a corresponding rise of io° or 15 0 during the 
day with sun heat. Shading of all kinds can now be 
dispensed with, except for a short time during the 
early part of bright days, which unfortunately at 
present are very few. 
Odontoglossum grande, which is now in flower, 
should be kept a little drier, but at no time should 
the plants be allowed to suffer. I am inclined to 
keep the plants moist when at rest and with good 
results, several of the flower spikes carrying seven 
flowers each. The Dendrobes, such as D. Wardi- 
anum and nobile, which finished their growth early 
and were removed to a cool house will now be show¬ 
ing their flower buds, and where a succession of 
flowers are wanted a few plants should be placed in 
heat from time to time. Cypripediums will now 
demand attention, and where the sphagnum has 
decayed it should be removed and replaced with 
fresh material, which enhances the appearance of 
the plants, and helps to keep them in better health. 
— A. W. 
Stanhopea inodora. 
There seems no difficulty in growing and flowering 
this plant every year, nor indeed of most of the 
species. When once established in a basket it 
should be disturbed as little as possible. The 
object should be to secure as good a growth as 
possible every year so as to ensure flowering, and 
afterwards allow the plant to go to rest by keeping 
it cool and on the dry side, but not so much as to 
cause the pseudo-bulbs to shrivel. A basket is 
certainly most suitable for the Stanhopeas on account 
of the habit the flower scape has of pushing down 
through the soil in which the plant is grown. The 
sepals and petals of this species are straw-yellow, 
faintly marked with purple. The basal saccate 
portion of the lip is of a deep golden yellow, but the 
rest is more nearly white and minutely dotted with 
purple. The horns are long and very prominent in 
this species. The column is greenish along the 
centre, but the wings are of a transparent whiteness. 
On the whole the flowers are large, showy, and con¬ 
spicuous, and show an approach to white; they are 
described as scentless, but are fragrant notwith¬ 
standing at certain stages of growth. A plant now 
flowering at Devonhurst, Chiswick, has been there 
for some years, and was obtained from Mexico along 
with other Mexican Orchids. 
Cattleya Gaskelliana. 
There is a considerable amount of variety in this 
summer and autumn flowering type, but the pre¬ 
vailing colours show a delicacy of tint compared with 
the darker hues of C. Trianae and C. Percivaliana. 
Fresh importations may, however, reveal varieties of 
a richer hue. At present a lively display is pro¬ 
duced by a batch of plants in Messrs. Hugh Low & 
Co.’s nursery at Clapton. Many of them are of this 
year’s importation, and are flowering for the first 
time ; others have been established for longer 
periods. The rosy-mauve blotch on the anterior of 
the lip is most liable to vary both in size and inten¬ 
sity, but the sepals and petals also range from a pale 
blush to a warm rose. The tawny yellow striated 
throat is also a peculiar feature of this form. The 
usual flowering season of C. Gaskelliana is from the 
middle of June to August, and those flowering now 
may revert to that period next year. As a type of 
C. labiata it is intermediate between C. Mossiae and 
C. Luddemanniana. 
Angraecum articulatum. 
A number of the species of Angrmcum from Mada¬ 
gascar show a considerable amount of affinity to the 
casual observer, because no doubt they are closely 
allied. That under notice is of dwarf stature with 
oblong or wedge-shaped unequally bilobed leaves 
from 3 in. to 6 in. long. The flowers are creamy- 
white or pure white, and borne in two ranks upon a 
long pendulous, wavy raceme having a jointed 
appearance as implied by the specific name. They 
also show a marked approach to being perfectly 
regular, and would practically be so were it not for 
the spur. Both sepals, petals and lip are lanceolate, 
but the two latter sets of organs, which really form 
the inner series of three, are incurved at the sides on 
the upper half, thus adding greatly to the symmetry. 
The long drooping slender spur varies in length, but 
those of the plants we noted in the nursery of Messrs. 
Hugh Low & Co. were 4 in. to 5 in: in length. The 
plant is therefore both highly conspicuous and orna¬ 
mental, and flowering as it does at this season, when 
Orchids in bloom are by no means plentiful, it 
deserves a place in collections of choice Orchids. It 
should be grown in baskets and suspended near the 
glass in the East Indian house. 
Vanda coerulea. 
Once more this fine old Vanda is in season, and its 
fineness will depend very much upon the amount of 
sunshine we receive during the autumn months. Of 
course those growers in districts removed from large 
towns have an advantage over those who live in or 
near smoky towns, in that their flowers will be more 
highly coloured. In the nursery of Messrs. Hugh 
Low & Co., Clapton, where the stock is extensive, 
including plants of all sizes, flowering commenced 
about a month ago, and will continue for the next 
two months. Individual plants keep in bloom for a 
long time, while others develop their scapes later on, 
thus prolonging the season well nigh into winter. The 
flowers vary greatly in size upon different plants, 
and even at different times upon the same plant ; 
for unlike the flowers of other Vandas, those of V. 
coerulea are relatively small when they first expand, 
but continue to enlarge until they reach their full 
development. They also vary in colour according 
to age, for the sepals and petals are nearly white At 
first and afterwards develop that rich sky-blue for 
which they are noted, particularly on the veins and 
cross veins, which produce that tessellated appear¬ 
ance. The lip is always of a richer and deeper blue, 
but even that varies in different plants. There are 
specimens in different houses, and two large, old 
plants grown in baskets are notable for the number 
of flowers they carry, one having forty-two blooms 
and the other sixty-eight. 
Vanda Kimballiana delicata. 
The sepals and petals of V. Kimballiana are white 
or sometimes tinted with blush. A peculiarity of 
the species is that the upper sepal is twisted in front 
of the petals which on the contrary are reflexed and 
twisted. In most other Vandas the petals are 
brought to the front. The lip is three lobed, the 
lateral lobes being yellow and blotched with tawny- 
brown ; the middle lobe is transversely oval, emar- 
ginate, toothed at the edge, and rosy-purple in vary¬ 
ing shades on different individuals, with five ridges 
at the base of a darker hue than the rest. From five 
to fourteen flowers are borne on a scape. The 
foliage is similar in type to that of V. Amesiana. 
The variety under notice differs in having white 
sepals and petals, with a rosy midrib, a white lip 
mottled with soft rosy-purple, the ridges being 
darker; the lateral lobes are also white, blotched with 
tawny-brown. A large quantity of the type may be 
seen in the nursery of Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., 
but the variety V. K. delicata is very scarce. 
- ♦ 
- 
SOCIETIES. 
Royal Horticultural, September 22nd .—The bulk 9 
the exhibits on Tuesday last consisted of Dahlias in 
their various sections. Compared with many other 
subjects they seem to have suffered relatively little 
as yet from the rain. A large collection was ex¬ 
hibited by Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, for 
which a Silver Flora Medal was awarded. Singles 
and Pompons as usual were very bright, but con¬ 
siderable attention is being centred in the Cactus 
varieties, which are now getting numerous. A large 
group of Cactus Dahlias set up on stands and 
arranged with Palms, Maidenhair Fern, &c., was 
exhibited by Mr. G. Phippen, Reading, and was 
accorded a Silver Gilt Flora Medal. A high bank o 
Cactus Dahlias, with single ones and Pompon Chry¬ 
santhemums at one end and a group of Carnation La 
Neige at the other, was shown by Mr. T. S. Ware, 
Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, and a Silver 
Banksian Medal was awarded the exhibit. A rather 
extensive exhibit of show and fancy Dahlias was 
made by Mr. Arthur Rawlings, Romford, Essex, for 
which a Silver Banksian Medal was awarded. A 
similar but smaller exhibit was made by Mr. J. T. 
West, gardener to W. Keith, Esq., Cornwalls, Brent¬ 
wood, and a Bronze Banksian Medal was 
accorded it. Pompons and Cactus varieties were also 
included in his group. 
A group of Chrysanthemums including Pompons 
and numerous Japanese varieties was shown by Mr. 
R. Owen, Maidenhead. The Pompons were set up 
in bunches with their foliage. A small group of 
Dahlias was exhibited by Mr. C. Turner, Slough, 
including several new kinds. A Bronze Banksian 
Medal was awarded to Mr. J. Walker, Thame, Oxon, 
for a collection of quilled German Asters. Some 
Cactus Dahlias were exhibited by Messrs. H. Can¬ 
ned & Sons, Swanley. A small collection of Dahlias 
was shown by Mr. G. Humphries, Chippenham. A" 
group of hardy shrubs was exhibited by Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons,Chelsea, including various variegated 
species and varieties of Elaeagnus, and Desmodium 
penduliflorum. A yellow Lily flushed with green 
and named Lilium claptonense was exhibited by 
Messrs. H. Low & Co., Clapton. A cultural com¬ 
mendation was awarded to W. Marshall, Esq., 
Bexley, fora well-flowered pot of Nerine flexuosa. A 
Bronze Banksian Medal was awarded to Messrs. W. 
Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, for six boxes of cut 
flowers of Roses. Some handsome panicles of Hy- 
