296 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 9, 1892. 
Hardening ||iscellany. 
LUCULIA PINCEANA. 
The flowers of this species are white with a pink 
tube, and are also considerably larger than those of 
L. gratissima. The delicious and sweet odour given 
off by tham during the day is not the least of the 
recommendations of this plant. Botanically the 
flowers are very interesting from the presence of a 
bifid outgrowdh from the base of the corolla lobes, 
and such processes serve at once to distinguish the 
species from L. gratissima. The leaves are of a rich, 
dark green and beautifully ribbed. A flowering plant 
may be seen in the greenhouse at Kew, but the 
flowers have suffered greatly from the effects of the 
recent fog, although not to the same extent as those 
of the better known species. 
LACHENALIA PENDULA. 
When well-grown the flowers of this species are 
larger than those of any other, although not so nu¬ 
merous as in the case of L. tricolor. The flower 
scapes are green or occasionally blotched with purple 
and red in the upper part. The leaves are altogether 
without spots. The flowers are red with green tips 
to the segments, while the inner series of three have 
a purple blotch on each side of the green. The secret 
with the culture of these Lachenalias lies in growing 
them in a pit or house where they can enjoy plenty 
of ventilation on all favourable occasions. A close 
atmosphere induces the leaves and stems to become 
unduly elongated at the expense of the vigour of the 
plant and the durability of the flowers. While the 
flower stems are being pushed up it is a good plan 
to place the pots on a shelf near the glass. At all 
events they should never be mixed up with other 
plants which would unduly shade them. 
BILBERGIA SPECIOSA. 
Tiie leaves of this plant are very thinly scaly, often 
spotted with yellow, as in the case of B. Bakeriana, 
and arranged in vasiform tufts, from the centre of 
which the flowers proceed. The arching axis is 
covered on the upper portion with large, lanceolate, 
highly-coloured bracts, which are even more con¬ 
spicuous and ornamental than the flowers them¬ 
selves, although the latter are certainly interesting. 
The outer surface of the bracts is rose-red, while the 
inner is of a pale rose colour. The sepals are pale 
green with a blue tip, while the petals, in the bud 
state at least, are yellowish-green and tinted with 
blue at the tips. 
THE “JOHN D3WNIE” CRAB 
In one of the gardening periodicals some time since, 
I forget which, I saw a notice of this new variety of 
Crab, as being seen, I think, in the Bagshot nur¬ 
series. It was raised in the Whittington Nurseries, 
Lichfield, by Mr. Holmes (formerly of the firm of 
Fisher & Holmes, Sheffield), and it is not yet known 
as its merits and beauty deserve. The tree is of 
erect habit, very free blooming and fruiting, the 
fruits bright in colour, large, and of an acorn shape, 
and it is an exceedingty handsome ornamental tree 
in fruit, JLt the sale of the stock of the nurseries 
some two or three years since, a quantity of the trees 
were purchased by one or more of the nurserymen 
of Lichfield, and I think the Sheffield firm have a 
stock of it. I saw the seedling tree in full bearing 
some five or six years since, and I shall ever remem¬ 
ber how I was struck with its beauty, for it was 
loaded with bright, handsome fruit, and has a nice 
compact habit of growth.— W. D. 
/ESCHYNANTHUS PULCHER. 
There are something like sixty species of this genus 
described in books, but only a relatively small number 
of them are in cultivation. The bulk of them are of 
climbing or pendant habit, throwing out roots from 
their slender stems, or hanging over the sides of the 
basket if so grown. Few have got the erect habit of 
7E. speciosa from Java. That under notice has the 
pendulous habit of JE. Lobbianus, which is one of 
the most common in gardens. The leathery leaves 
are elliptic, and of a rich dark green. The flowers 
are of a brilliant red or scarlet, with a yellow blotch 
at the base of the three lower segments, and the 
tubular calyx is occasionally more or less tinted with 
red. The species was introduced from Java to this 
country in 1845 by Mr. W. Lobb, wbo has enrichei} 
our collections with many things. There is a coloured 
plate of it in the Revue de VHorticulture Beige for this 
month. 
CALCEOLARIA BURBIDGEL 
The value of this plant lies in the fact that it flowers 
in winter when all or most other kinds are out of 
bloom. The habit of the plant is somewhat pyra¬ 
midal, and when it attains a yard in height, which it 
readily does under favourable conditions, it becomes 
a stately and attractive object. The leaves are 
peculiar in form owing to a broad wing which runs 
down the petiole from the base of the blade. The 
flowers are produced from the axils of the leaves and 
the apex of the shoots and stems in small cymes. 
The upper lip is of a pale creamy-yellow, while the 
lower lip or pouch is bright lemon. There is little 
difficulty in the matter of propagation and culture, 
provided the plants are kept cool in a freely venti¬ 
lated house during the summer months. Newly 
rooted cuttings should be placed in 3-in. pots, and 
shifted into larger sizes as the pots become filled 
with roots. As the plant gets tall it should be re¬ 
moved into deeper frames or pits, always exposing it 
to plenty of light, although not necessarily direct sun¬ 
shine. The greenhouse or conservatory is the best 
place for it from the time it comes into bloom, as a 
low temperature is all that it needs. It is a hybrid 
raised between C. Pavonii and C. fuchsiaefolia, and 
most resembles the former in foliage. 
ORCHID ROTES AND GLEANINGS. 
The Orchid Grower's Calendar. 
Cattleya House. —There is very little to do as 
yet in this department, beyond keeping up an even 
temperature and a free circulation of air, watering as 
the plants require it, to prevent an undue amount of 
shrivelling, and damping the walls and paths, should 
the house dry up too much through the strong firing 
necessary during sharp weather. With such mild 
and bright weather as we had last week very little 
firing was necessary during the day, but they have 
to be kept going again now to keep the temperatures 
anywhere near the mark. 
L.elia anceps, now in bloom," should be arranged 
so as to show their flowers off to advantage. Where 
there is no house set apart specially for plants in 
flower, a good show might be made at either end of 
the house with a few Palms and Ferns interspersed. 
L. a. Williamsiana, now in bloom, still holds its own 
amongst the white varieties. It is a good grower, 
and never fails to flower freely, which cannot be said 
of the newer introductions. It is therefore truly an 
amateur’s plant. When mixed with the very dark 
types, of which there are some grand ones now, they 
contrast, well. As they go out of bloom they will 
receive a thorough clean up, and, should any have 
become somewhat shrivelled through carrying their 
blooms too long, they will be allowed to plump up 
their bulbs again before being repotted or rebasketted 
as the case may be. I notice that some of them are 
beginning to root freely, and will soon claim attention. 
Cockroaches are very partial to these flowers, and 
should any be lurking about no time should be lost 
in ridding the houses of them. The Acme beetle trap 
is a capital thing, as once they get in escape is im¬ 
possible, and they are easily despatched by pouring 
boiling water over them. 
Cool House. — Never have the Odontoglossums 
looked more promising than now, and strong spikes 
are pushing up in quantity. As each spike appears 
the plants should be suspended with fine but strong 
wire so as to prevent the slugs from devouring the 
sweet morsel. This is not always a safeguard, how¬ 
ever, as I have caught many of these pests, not much 
larger than a good sized pin’s head, secreted in the 
axils of the leaf patiently waiting the approach of 
the spike. Traps should be set, such as bits of 
Apple, Orange peel, etc., to be looked over when 
going round the last thing at night. The plants 
should not be hung too close to the glass in very cold 
weather or the tips of the leaves will become yellow, 
and sometimes the spike will go off. 
Sophronites grandiflora in the cool house is 
just now making a brilliant show. Some of the 
most successful growers recommend the culture of 
these charming plants in an intermediate house, and 
where one exists I have no doubt the}' do best; but 
it not everyone who can give them this accom¬ 
modation, and where choice has to be made between 
the Cattleya house and cool treatment, my experience 
certainly favours the latter. Of course they are 
placed at the warmest end. 
Watering, etc. —All watering should be done in 
the morning, and any plants hanging immediately 
over others should be allowed to drain well after 
being watered before being put back in their places. 
Now is a good time, if not already done, to have a 
thorough clean up ; also to get a good quantity of 
clean pots and broken pots for crocking in readi¬ 
ness for the busy time close at hand. Should the 
stock of peat have become short it will also be well 
to get in a good supply at once. 
Temperatures. —East India house, 65° at night, 
70° by day; Cattleya house, 55 3 night, 6o° by day ; 
Odontoglossum house, 45 0 night, 50° by day, with 
a rise of 5 0 with sun heat in each instance.— C. 
The Freelands Collection. 
In looking over the Orchids the other day at Free¬ 
lands, near Perth, the beaudful residence of C. L. 
Wood, Esq., I noticed a splendid form of Laelia 
autumnalis alba. It was a large round flower of 
great substance and of the purest white, excepting a 
faint tinge of canary-yellow at the base of the throat. 
I have seen other white forms of this Laslia, but none 
approaching this grand variety. A fine plant of 
Vanda Sanderiana, with four spikes and deep 
coloured flowers, showed up well; also Cypripedium 
Harrisianum superba, and other choice kinds. Free¬ 
lands is one of the happy homes of Odontoglossums, 
and Mr. Sharp will soon have plenty of grand flower 
spikes in return for the care he has bestowed on 
them.— A. I. 
Ccelogyne Gardneriana. 
Judging from the quantity of this Orchid which has 
been imported recently it should soon get common 
in collections, and prove valuable for winter 
flowering. Both the flowers and the pseudo-bulbs 
are so strikingly distinct from those of other species 
generally seen in cultivation as to call for culture on 
this account alone. The pseudo-bulbs are flask 
shaped, and vary from 6 in. to loin., or even more 
in length according to vigour, but as the leaves gene¬ 
rally fall off in winter the plant flowers while leaf¬ 
less. The flower scape ispendulobs, and the flowers 
are white with exception of a yellow blotch on the 
base of the lip. The sepals, petals, and lip, how¬ 
ever, are erect, thus making the flowers appear half 
closed as they hang suspended from the plant, and 
in this respect they may be compared to those of a 
Cyperorchis rather than a Coelogyne. In the 
aggregate however the flowers, supported as they are 
with large, white, fleshy bracts are showy and con¬ 
spicuous. The pseudo-bulbs may be compared to 
those of Oncidium sarcodes, greatly enlarged. 
Platyclinis Cobbiana. 
The species of Platyclinis are best known in gardens 
under the name of Dendrochilum. The flowers as 
a rule are very small and numerous, hanging in 
graceful racemes, which make the plants great favour¬ 
ites with the majority of growers. Those of the 
plants under notice are larger than the others in cul¬ 
tivation and are rendered pretty and interesting by 
the contrast formed between the straw-coloured 
sepals and petals and the orange lip. The recent 
severe visitation of fog seems to have had no influence 
upon either the plant or its flowers, a fact which 
should increase the value of the same for winter¬ 
flowering. 
Catasetum saccatum. 
The flowers of the different species of Catasetum are 
as varied as they are peculiar. The variations, c r 
the more striking of them, are confined to lip and 
column, and by the characters of those organs the 
species are generally defined and classified. The 
flowers of the species under notice are large 
although, like a great many others, not particularly 
attractive. The sepals are mostly brown, while the 
petals are yellow, and closely spotted with brownish- 
purple. In the early stages of the flower the latter 
lie closely against the upper sepal as if they formed 
part of it, and by so doing make it appear broad and 
showy. The lip is the most striking organ of the 
flower owing to its peculiar form ; it is three-lobed, 
the lateral lobes being fringed and closely spotted 
with brownish-purple on a yellow ground. The 
middle lobe is ovate, serrate at the margins, reflexed 
and spotted in the same way as the side lobes. Near 
the base is an elevated, slightly toothed, white ridge, 
forming the mouth to a deep sac or pouch which, has 
given rise to the specific name. The species is a 
native of Colombia, and flowered quite recently ip 
the tvarm division of the Orchid house at Kew, 
