124 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 26, 1889. 
Solanum guineense. 
This annual species is probably not grown outside of 
botanic gardens ; but if it were not for its suspicious- 
looking appearance it might be well worthy of a place 
in the borders for its great attractiveness in autumn 
when loaded with its jet-black berries, which may be 
compared to those of a black currant for size. It is 
very similar in habit to S. nigrum, a naturalised weed 
jn many parts of Britain, more particularly in the 
southern counties ; but the whole herbage is of greater 
dimensions and of more rampant habit, with long 
arching branches, heavily loaded with fruit. It may 
be seen in the herbaceous ground at Kew. 
Bouvardia Humboldtii corymbiflora. 
One of the finest beds in the grounds of the Trccadero 
Palace, at the Paris exhibition, during the month of 
September, consisted of the above-named Bouvardia. 
The bed was of large size, and closely covered with 
plants about 18 ins. high, and simply a mass of bloom. 
The pure white of the long-tubed flowers had a very 
telling effect, even from a distance. If the same had 
been grown and flowered indoors in this country, the 
results could not have been finer, nor the effect better. 
The species is one of the finest in cultivation, but 
requires somewhat different treatment from the more 
frequently grown kinds to ensure freedom of flowering. 
For instance, the shoots must not be pinched for the 
sake of making the plants bushy, but allowed to grow 
at will, when the trusses of fragrant bloom will develop 
during the autumn and winter. Montbretia Potsii was 
planted between the Bonvardias mentioned, but what 
flowers there were, were quite overpowered by those of 
the latter. 
Nicotiana colossa. 
Under this name, what appeared to beN. wigandioides 
might have been seen recently in the grounds of the 
Paris exhibition. It stood about 3 ft. or 4 It. high, 
and exhibited no signs of flowering, which would 
naturally be the case with N. wigandioides, a green¬ 
house shrub from Colombia, occasionally employed in 
this country for sub-tropical gardening purposes, for 
which its enormous ovate leaves render it extremely 
well adapted. Old plants may be kept in the green¬ 
house during winter, turning it into a stove or propa¬ 
gating pit in spring, in order to get cuttings for 
planting out in June. 
Cares sp. variegata. 
For pot-work this plant will no doubt prove an 
elegant subject, and relieve the uniform green hue of 
Scirpus riparius (Isolepis gracilis), now so extensively 
used as an edging to groups of plants utilised for 
decorative purposes. The leaves are long, arching, 
tufted, narrowly linear, and green with a broad, central, 
silvery white stripe down the middle. So narrow are 
the leaves, however, that they might be described as 
silvery white with green margins. Like most of the 
other species of Carex, it will, no doubt, prove of easy 
cultivation, and when it flowers, so that the species 
may be determined, it may prove to be common in the 
green state. The specimen under notice was exhibited 
by Messrs. J. Yeitch & Sons, at the Drill Hall, on 
Tuesday last, when it was awarded a First Class 
Certificate. 
Pteris leptophylla princeps. 
The fronds of this variety are broadly ovate in outline, 
bipinnatifid, with all the leading pinnce drawn out into 
long slender points, and slightly crested. The habit of 
the plant is dwarf and compact, the fronds not much 
exceeding 15 ins. in length, and they are of a rich 
dark green. A First Class Certificate was awarded for 
it by the Royal Horticultural Society, on Tuesday last. 
The exhibitor was Mr. H. B. May, Dyson’s Lane 
Nurseries, Upper Edmonton. 
Browallia elata. 
Amongst the many useful plants grown for autumn 
flowering, this holds a high place, and if seeds be 
sown at different periods, a long season of flowering 
can be assured. It is a colour that is not too plentiful 
at any season, and more especially at the present, when 
its lovely light blue makes it most attractive when 
associated with Bouvardias, zonal Pelargoniums, 
Linum trigynum, Celosias, Chrysanthemums, &c. 
Another merit it has is that it can be cut with long 
stems. It is an annual that everyone can grow who 
has a little glass accommodation in the autumn.— Con. 
ORCHID ROT ES AND GLEANINGS. 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar, 
The wet and fog of the past few days remind us that 
winter will soon be upon us, and it is essential that the 
plants receive all the light they can possibly get, there¬ 
fore any Summer Cloud, "Williams’ Eureka Shading, 
or other similar compositions which may have been 
used on the side-lights or roofs, should be washed off 
without delay, and where the roller blinds ai'e taken 
down in winter, they should also be stored away after 
being thoroughly dried. Miny growers prefer leaving 
the blinds up all the winter, so that they may be let 
down over the roofs of the houses in case of severe 
frost, and where there are many hanging baskets 
growing close to the roof-glass, this is a very good 
plan, but it frequently happens that the blinds are 
frozen quite stiff if not fast to the roof in the morning, 
thus keeping out the light when it is most needed. 
It is advisable to look to the plants which are growing 
suspended from the roof, so as to make sure none of 
them are too close now that the nights are getting cold, 
for the growing point of a shoot or of a flower-spike is 
often crippled thereby. 
In small houses ventilation had better be given at the 
bottom, so that the cold air may pass over the hot- 
water pipes on entering the house, while in lofty 
houses the top ventilators may be used. Cold draughts 
are certainly bad for Orchids, as well as for the 
growers of them, and by noticing the direction from 
whence the wind comes, and opening the ventilators on 
the opposite side, fresh air can be constantly admitted 
without cold draughts. During wet, foggy weather the 
houses are best kept on the dry side at this season, aud 
even in mild weather a little fire in the cool house 
during fog goes a long way towards keeping it out. 
"When sharp frosts occur suddenly, and houses go below 
the proper temperature, it is by far the best plan to 
keep them dry until the right temperature has been 
regained, for the plants do not so readily suffer when 
dry and cold as when cold and wet also. 
Ccelogynes of the eristata section are now pushing up 
flower spikes and finishing up bulbs, and still enjoy a 
good amount of moisture at the root; while C. barbata 
will soon be opening its flowers. Lycaste Skinneri 
having finished up should now be kept a little drier, 
and water should be withheld from any that fail to push 
up flowers, to induce them to do so. Cycnoches, 
Catasetums, and Mormodes, having finished growing, 
should have a dry airy place in which to lose their 
foliage and rest, the coolest end of a Cattleya house 
being a suitable position. — TF. P. 
Odontoglossum grande varieties. 
Notwithstanding the fact that this species produces 
larger flowers than any other Odontoglossum, its value 
is greatly under-estimated on account of the ease with 
which it can be obtained, and the fictitious value 
placed upon less common ones, because they cannot be 
procured in quantity. We were again reminded of the 
fact upon seeing some well-grown specimens in the 
Orchid house at Devonhurst, Chiswick. The plants 
have only been established for a few seasons since they 
were obtained from Mexico, and they have been 
increasing in size and vigour ever since. One has only 
to examine the specimens now in bloom to see that 
there is more variation in different individuals of the 
species than would be readily imagined. The largest 
flowers measure 6 ins. across the petals, but the sepals 
are narrow, and are rendered apparently more so by 
the manner in which they become revolute at the 
edges, thus reducing their width. They are bright 
shining yellow, heavily blotched transversely with 
cinnamon-brown. The petals are nearly twice as broad, 
and deep cinnamon-brown on the basal half, with the 
exception of the margins, while the upper half is 
bright shining yellow. The nearly orbicular, emarginate 
lip is pale yellow or whitish, variously suffused with 
brown on the lower half, or more or less distinctly 
blotched. Some forms are quite distinct in having 
much smaller flowers with shorter and broader petals, 
while still another form differs in having the bars on 
the sepals, the base of the petals and the markings on 
the lip greatly intensified. 
CryptoPhoranthuS DayanuM, 
The changing of this name from Masdevallia Dayana 
to that which it now bears is not likely to render the 
plant more popular with gardeners who, being ignorant 
of both Greek and Latin, look upon long botanical 
names simply as a meaningless conglomeration of 
letters. Of course for scientific purposes there isnothing 
objectionable in compounding such names, so long as 
the facts are correct; but the question is, might not 
both botany and horticulture derive equal advantage 
by simplifying the names of those things especially 
which are likely to find their way into numerous garden 
collections ? Supposing the plant in question become 
widely disseminated in collections during the next ten 
years, it would be interesting to decipher the labels 
written by gardeners after they have been several times 
renewed without due care as to the exact copying of 
the primary one. It is more than probable in half of 
the cases the botanist would fail to recognise his handi¬ 
work in the name at all ! The genus Cryptophoranthus 
consists of some eight or ten species, all of which are 
peculiar in having the sepals joined at the base and 
apex with curious slit-like openings, or windows 
between them for the passage of insects into the flower. 
The flowers of this species are produced singly on short 
scapes, and are large compared with those of others in 
cultivation, and the sepals are yellow, beautifully 
spotted with deep reddish purple. Darwin made some 
interesting remarks on C. atropurpurea (originally 
grown under the name of Masdevallia fenestrata) con¬ 
cerning the method of fertilisation by insects. 
Masdevallia tovarensis. 
The average number of flowers produced on a peduncle 
of this species when moderately well grown is two ; but 
robust specimens, under good cultivation, will produce 
three, four, and five blooms on a scape. Nor is this all; 
the same flower stalks, if let alone, are persistent, 
remaining fresh and green for two, three, or more 
seasons, and continue to throw up a fresh lot of 
flowers during the autumn of succeeding years. The 
leaves accompanying such scapes should be maintained 
in a healthy and fresh condition as many years as pos¬ 
sible, for the power of the old scapes to produce 
successional lots of flowers depends to a certain extent, 
if not wholly, upon the vitality and freshness of the 
leaf from the base of which it arises. The pure white 
flowers of this species are very choice, and most accept¬ 
able at this dull season. 
Cypripedium vexillarium. 
It is a statement frequently made use of, that the 
pollen parent usually affects the progeny only in the 
matter of colouring, and such may be the finding in 
many cases, but C. vexillarium is a good instance to the 
contrary. It is a hybrid between C. barbatum and 
C. Fairieanum, the latter being the pollen parent, and 
has influenced the petals and lip considerably. The 
petals are sharply defiexed, strongly undulated and 
ciliated on the upper margin, like those of C. 
Fairieanum, while the black spots or raised and wart¬ 
like processes seen in C. barbatum are absent. The 
margins are purple, the veins green, the superior half 
of each is green, while the inferior half is white. The 
elongated and blunt lip is brownish red, while the 
upper sepal is vinous purple with darker veins, except 
at the base, which is white with green veins. The 
flowers are large, handsome, and frequently produced. 
Epidendrum sceptrum. 
The pseudo-bulbs of this species are elongated, 
somewhat fusiform, and consist of a thin stalk-like 
portion, with a long joint, surmounted by two other 
very short ones. All are green, and measure in the 
aggregate about 12 ins. long, bearing three lanceolate 
leaves near the top. The terminal arching raceme 
varies from 18 ins. to 24 ins. in length, bearing on its 
upper half a great multitude of medium-sized flowers. 
The latter have oblong sepals and broader petals, all 
being yellow and spotted with purple. The lip is 
triangular obtuse, and heavily spotted with blood-red, 
especially towards the base, where the spots become 
more or less confluent, so as to form one large blotch. 
A large and well-flowered specimen was exhibited by 
Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., Burford Lodge, 
Dorking, at the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, when a Botanical Certificate was awarded. 
Odontoglossum grande, Tautz's var. 
The chief merits of this variety are the great size of the 
flowers, leaves, and indeed all parts of the plant. This 
is no doubt due to some extent to good cultivation. 
The flowers measured from 6 ins. to 64 ins. across the 
petals when in full bloom. The sepals are oblong, flat, 
and conspicuously barred transversely with rich chest¬ 
nut-brown on a yellow ground, and the lower half of 
the broad petals are also of a rich chestnut. The lip is 
unusually large, concave, nearly white, with a large, 
pale-brown blotch at the base. A fine plant, grown in 
a basket, was shown by F. G. Tautz, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. C. Cowley), at the meeting of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society, on Tuesday last, when an Award of 
Merit was granted for it. 
