604 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
May 23rd, 1885. 
THE 
(Srdjitr ©miners ©almbar. 
Proliferous Hoots of Orchids. —There have 
been various records of buds originating on the roots 
of Orchids lately, as in the instances quoted by 
Messrs. Lendy and Salter. I have long since attached 
great interest to such cases, but I made only a few 
observations, only one plant having often shown me 
this method of propagation. It is the Bird’s-nest 
Orchid, Neottia Nidus-avis, which very often perishes 
after having flowered, while in other cases it produces 
fresh shoots from the axils of certain sheaths. In 
some instances it produces a fresh plant at the top of a 
root-fibre. I saw this in 1849, when I observed the 
fact at Tharant. 1 learned afterwards that it had 
been observed before by T. P. E. Vaucher, in 1841. 
After Vaucher and myself it was seen by Irmisch, 
Prillieux, Hofmeister—who got it from me; then it 
was formerly denied by Drude, and re-observed and 
neatly described by Eugfene Warming, the excellent 
Scandinavian botanist. 
The second case was observed in my Phabenopsis 
deliciosa, gathered in 1843 by Zollinger. My specimen 
shows a young plant on a root having just emitted a 
small rootlet of its own as described by Mr. Salter. 
This specimen' can be seen in my herbarium. 
The third case is a sad one. A Cyrtopodium (if I 
remember rightly a savannah plant from Venezuela) 
gave a fine shoot from a root in Consul Schiller’s 
collection, under Mr. Schmidt’s able management, I 
believe, in 1867. I watched it carefully. Finally a 
young assistant gardener broke it accidentally, and 
threw the shoot and part of the root away, hoping 
that the loss would never be remarked. 
The last case is of Saccolabium micrantlium, 
Hindi. Director Lucien Linden sent me lately a fine 
Cochin-Chinese plant, with a young two-leaved shoot 
on a root. The whole plant was boiled and care¬ 
fully dried. It can be seen in my herbarium.-— 
Communicated by Professor Beichenbach to the Orchid 
Conference. 
Orchids at Kew.—One or two of the remarks of 
“ A. F. L.” in your last issue seem to require a reply 
from me. First, “A. F. L.” assumes that I am 
“very angry.” He is mistaken; but as I have 
nothing whatever to do with the Orchids, except 
occasionally to provide them with passports—as the 
process has recently not inappropriately been termed 
-—I can afford to let this pass. But what is this 
“ sanctum ” into which the foot of the “ profanum 
vulgus ” may not enter? Simply three small houses 
filled with plants which the other houses cannot 
possibly contain; feeders, if you like, for as the 
plants come into bloom they are taken into the 
other houses. “ A. F. L.” makes a great point of 
this “ sanctum,” but my additional list was not made 
there. I admit that in thirteen days (May 2nd, my 
visit was made) a few species may have been brought 
out of it, but I have not inquired if this be so or not. 
In my previous letter, instead of saying “ some of the 
above-mentioned,” I should have said “ some of the 
1,000 species,” with the explanation that they were 
brought out as they came into flower. “A. F. L.” 
now says, “ I positively saw only fifty-nine plants in 
bloom.” Then why does he enumerate sixty-one 
species? But he did not “carefully note down all 
that were in bloom,” for Epidendrum evectum is a 
large plant with a permanent position, and was in 
bloom long before April 19th, and will be long after. 
I can give more examples if necessary, and I myself 
overlooked a small unnamed Acampe and Sareochilus 
Berkeley!. “A. F. L.” assures us that he “ entered 
house No. 12, and in part of that house found ” the 
Orchids. No doubt he did enter No. 12, which is the 
cool Economic-house; thence he entered No. 11, the 
warm Economic-house ; thence No. 10, the Victoria 
Begia house ; thence he entered No. 13, the warm 
Orchid-house, out of which he went into No. 14, the 
cool Orchid-house. After this, he may have gone 
into the open air from No. 14, or returned to No. 12 ; 
or, after passing through three long houses, which 
form the long side of the T range, have emerged by 
this exit. But surely “ A. F. L.” does not mean to 
call this range only a “ house.” As well call one side 
of a street a “ house,” if the houses are continuous. 
“ A. F. L.” presumes I am correct about the number 
of Orchids at Kew, but adds, “I did not see them.” 
Perhaps not, though he might have seen over half 
of that number. Let me add, that no ill-feelings 
prompt this letter. I am very fond of Orchids, and 
frequently visit this collection; and when anyone 
writes about it, let them keep to facts.— R. A. Rolfe. 
Oncidium Jonesianum. —We are informed, on 
good authority, that the beautiful Oncidium Jonesi¬ 
anum, a few plants of which Mons. de St. Legere 
collected last year, and which made such a favourable 
impression on flowering, has just been collected 
again by M. de St. Legere. The plant bears hand¬ 
some flowers, somewhat resembling those of Odonto- 
glossum Bossi majus, and is only found in certain 
parts of Paraguay. It is very rare, and a great deal 
of care is needed to find it in the less sheltered spots 
of elevated forests. In these places, the thermometer, 
we are told, often falls below freezing point. Some 
of the flower spikes give from twenty-seven to twenty- 
nine blooms. M. de St. Legere, the discoverer, has 
placed all the plants collected in the hands of Messrs. 
Fred. Horsman & Co. for disposal, together with 
some other new Orchids. 
Dendrobium Phalsenopsis. — This is a very 
handsome Australian Orchid, closely allied to D. 
bigibbum, D. superbiens, and D. Goldiei, all natives 
of the same botanical region. Mr. Fitzgerald regards 
this as the finest of Australian Orchids. The species 
is a native of Northern Australia and New Guinea. 
A figure is given in the May number of The Botanical 
Magazine of a plant obtained by Mr. Forbes in his 
recent expedition to Timor-laut. It is referred to 
the above species, though it is pointed out that the 
flowers are pendulous, while the Australian plant has 
them erect. This would seem to indicate that the 
two are not quite identical. The plant represented 
flowered at Kew last September. The flowers, as the 
name implies, are much like moths, or at any rate 
much like the genus Phalsenopsis, 2 ins. in diameter, 
the sepals very pale pink, the petals rose-red, and 
much larger, and the lip dark purplish blood-red, 
tongue-shaped, and with two large incurved, rounded 
lateral lobes. The pseudo-bulbs are 1 ft. to 14 ft. 
high, nearly as thick as the little finger ; the leaves 
6 ins. to S ins. long, lanceolate, and dark green, and 
the raceme of six to ten flowers is borne from the 
summit of the young pseudo-bulbs. 
Laslia an ceps alba : Orchid Shading.—Very 
many points of interest to Orchid-growers are touched 
upon in your “Notes” published on p. 55G, and 
therefore I would fain ask for space to make a few 
comments thereupon. Giving precedence to your own 
request for information as to the measure of success 
which has. attended growers’ efforts to establish the 
recently-imported white varieties of Lielia anceps, 
unfortunately I can answer only for myself. The 
number of plants I possess is small, being little over 
a dozen, but of these the majority are rooting and 
breaking freely, while those which have not yet 
moved are plumping up their bulbs and seem fairly 
healthy. They stand on the staging amongst the 
Cattleyas, potted only in crocks. 
Mr. Cummins, in his note replying to Mr. O'Brien’s 
query, expresses an opinion that the best material for 
shading Orchid-houses is the French. As I have no 
personal experience of these wooden blinds, perhaps 
I ought not to condemn them. But after seeing them 
tried at Mr. Sander’s wonderful nursery at St. Alban’s, 
I came to the conclusion that they are a delusion and 
a snare. At the time of my visit I was much amused 
to observe how difficult it is to obtain concurrent 
testimony on any subject. While going round the 
houses, I casually asked how they liked the new 
wooden shading. “ We don’t like it at all,” was the 
foreman's reply. Soon after, in the course of conver¬ 
sation, I ventured to repeat my question to Mr. 
Sander himself. He said, “We like it very much, 
but it is too expensive!” it was difficult to repress 
a smile on hearing such divergent views. But one 
fact came out pretty clearly, which was that they did 
not intend to order any more of these blinds. My 
own observations made on that occasion led me to 
believe that the laths are too far apart, consequently 
too large a proportion of direct sunlight passes 
through. If Mr. Cummins wishes for shading of this 
kind, he should try to obtain some of the cane-blinds 
commonly used at Malta, and, I believe, all over the 
Levant. They are made from the stems of a species 
of Bamboo, split into lengths about J-in. wide. These 
are securely fastened together with string, in such a 
manner that the laths slightly overlap, which enables 
these blinds to repel the fierce sunshine of the South, 
and yet enable light and air, to pass freely through 
them. They can be made of any reasonable length, 
are extremely cheap, and, owing to their lightness and 
flexibility, very easy to handle. 
Last but not least, I observed that Mr. Woodbridge 
had succeeded in flowering Cyrtopodium punctatum 
at Syon House. I confess to my heart being filled 
with “ envy, hatred, and malice,” as I read of the 
plant bearing a “ strong spike of yellow blossoms, &c.” 
I dare say there are many who, while sharing these 
feelings, would also like to know by what treatment 
Mr. Woodbridge has secured so desirable a result.— 
B. D. Knox, 17, Gloucester Place, May 6th. 
Orchid Shading-.—At Mr. Wm. Gordon’s Nursery, 
Twickenham, ■where Orchid requisites and shadings 
are a speciality, a new kind of webbing may be had, 
which, when used as directed with the thin materials 
requisite for light shading, makes the blinds last as 
long as though they were of stout material, and makes 
them last quite as long again as they would if not 
strengthened. The webbing is of the texture of light 
tacking, and is very strong. 
New Orchids.— Odoxtoglossum Bhassia. —This 
has the straight shape of the sepals, petals, and lip of 
a Brassia. The lateral sepals are very still, linear 
lanceolate, as also is the upper sepal. The lip is 
deltoid, cuspidate, and has at the base five keels with 
two anterior projecting ones. The wings of the 
column are rather poor, lacerate, the whole flower 
sulphur-coloured. Upper sepal with one, lateral 
sepals with several, lip with one horse-shoe like 
purple spot. It might be regarded as extended 
Odontoglossum deltoglossum. I had a fine raceme of 
thirteen large flowers from Mr. F. Sander, and the 
plant is in Mr. Lee’s collection. 
AiiiiiDES Outgiesiaxoi.—T his looks like a smaller 
Aerides quinquevulnerum, Hindi, though its growtli 
is said to be more slender and its leaves arc 
narrower. The sepals and petals have the usual 
purple blotch towards the apex, some small ones 
being scattered on the surface, and some light purple 
warts also. The side laciniae of the lip are sulphur- 
coloured, the mid-lacinia white, the spur green—all 
with small red dots and bars. The mid-lacinia is 
blunt, bilobe, not serrate at all. In the front part of 
the spur there stands one horn-like process, at the 
back there is a triangular callus, and this induced me 
to regard this recent introduction of Mr. F. Sander 
as a novelty.— Prof. Beichenbach, in Gard. Cliron. 
— o—. -~tX > cp - - ^-g — 
HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 
Hoyal Botanic, May 20tli .—With a first summer 
show of a much better average quality than we have 
seen at Kegent’s Park for several years past, it is 
much to be regretted that, owing to bad weather, so 
many visitors should have been kept away. Bad days 
at “ the Park ” are not at all unknown, but Wednesday 
was an exceptionally disagreeable one. The show was 
an all round good one, but as usual some things of a 
higher order of merit stood prominently forth, and 
amongst these must be named a magnificent group of 
nine Clematises from Messrs. G. Jackman & Son, of 
Woking, all of even size, large, and superbly bloomed; 
the large specimen Boses of Messrs. Paul & Son, 
Cheshunt; the smaller but splendidly bloomed plants 
from Mr. Turner and Messrs. William Paul & Son; and 
the flowering stove and greenhouse plants from Mr. J. 
Cypher, of Cheltenham. It was indeed “Mr. Cypher’s 
day,” for he brought up a considerable number of 
plants, and was successful in securing first prizes for 
twelve and six flowering plants, for six fine foliaged 
plants, and twelve Orchids, an achievement of no 
mean order. His dozen flowering plants were a very 
fine lot, composed of large and well-bloomed speci¬ 
mens of Erica Cavendishiana, a splendid example; 
