June 6th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
633 
The dark-flowered species figured with T. grandi- 
florum, is the large, bold-leaved T. erectum, whose 
handsome purple-brown flowers have quite a beauty 
of their own. In this country it is grown only for orna¬ 
ment, but in America, “ its fleshy roots form one of 
the many drugs prepared for sale by some of the 
societies of the religious sect called Shakers.” It is 
sold under the name of Beth-root, and the plant is 
also called Indian Balm, or Lamb’s Quarters. The 
stalkless-flowered Trillium sessile, also has purple 
flowers, which have an Iris-like appearance, the sepals 
being spreading, and the petals erect. 
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ORCHIDS IN BRITISH GUIANA. 
We are indebted to Mr. J. B. Bonny, Downs Park 
Boad, Hackney, for the following interesting com¬ 
munication on the native 
Orchids of British Guiana, 
received by him from an 
Orchid collector in that 
country: — “About two 
hundred species of Orchids 
are native to British 
Guiana. They are found 
everywhere, except in the 
dense forests and on the 
coasts; a moderate amount 
of light, plenty of mois¬ 
ture, and protection from 
strong winds being neces¬ 
sary to their good condi¬ 
tion and free flowering. 
There is perhaps no order 
of the vegetable kingdom 
so varied in habit, size, 
shape of flower, and 
general structure. They 
vary in size from the 
Pleurothallis of one inch, 
to the climbing Vanilla, 
which mounts above the 
forest trees to open its 
flowers in the bright sun¬ 
light. The greater number 
are epiphytes, that is, 
their leaves or bulbs are 
anchored to the branches 
and trunks of trees by 
strong aerial roots; and 
they derive their nourish¬ 
ment, not from the tree, 
but from moisture in the 
air and the small portion 
of vegetable matter dis¬ 
solved in the rain and 
dew which trickles down 
channels in the bark. 
These epiphytes flourish 
on the banks of rivers and 
creeks, inside the fringe of 
bushes which usually lines 
them to the water’s edge. 
The ordinary passenger 
sees but few, but the col. 
lector pushes his bateau 
through the bushes, often finding some tree covered 
with Orchids. Zygopetalum rostratum generally 
grows in such a position, its large white flowers 
opening freely in the diffused light. About fifteen 
miles up the Hobaboe creek is a fringe of trees, 
bordered on one side by the creek, and on the other 
by a park-like savannah, the bushes on either side 
being almost impenetrable. Here, in looking for a 
wounded parrot, I came upon quite a family of 
Zygopetalums in full flower, decorating the rather thin 
tree trunks very prettily. 
“ In the same creek, above the lock, when the 
savannah is covered with water, and people in the 
canals complain of floods, the trees are decorated with 
hundreds of Brassavola angustata and Epidendrum 
nocturnum, their pretty flowers making up in numbers 
what they lack in individual beauty. Below the lock 
grows the Oncidium altissimum, one of our largest 
epiphytes, perfuming the air with hundreds of flowers, 
which grow on long stems, often 12 ft. high. A large 
plant is a magnificent object; 4 ft. or 5 ft. through, with 
leaves a yard long, and six or more flowering stems, 
it can scarcely be equalled among Orchids. The 
savannahs are bordered with belts of Eta Palms; and 
below the parasol of leaves, among the old leaf sheaths, 
is seen something waving in the wind like tassels of 
broad leaved grass. If it is the wet season, the bateau 
is brought as near as possible by poling, or the men 
get out and haul it through the dense razor grass, at 
he risk of cutting their fingers and legs. Nearing 
the Palm you see that the grassy leaves belong to 
Catasetum longifolium, and the next business is to 
get it. One of the boatmen climbs up and attempts 
to pull out a plant, perhaps breaking a few bulbs ; 
or coming down with a run, covered with ants; 
or frightened at a lizard, or hairy spider. There 
is nothing left but to cut down the tree, which you 
must do standing in water up to your knees. 
Presently you hear a crack, and with a splash, 
TRILLIUM GRANDIELORUM, WHITE ; T. ERECTUM, PURPLE. 
splash, you get out of the way of the falling giant 
which comes down with a great crash, throwing 
the splashes in every direction. All round the 
Palms you see the water covered with ants; large 
brown fellows which nip pretty hard, and perhaps a 
dozen hairy spiders and a wood slave. After a good 
deal of trouble and a few bites you get the Orchid, 
and find a bunch of beautiful flowers, the colour 
almost unique, being a bright orange. 
“ On the tree branches overhanging the Ilyama 
creek the Stanhopea eburnea hangs its magnificent 
waxy flowers, together with Brassias, Gongoras, and 
thousands of small species. At the front of the 
sand hills on the low bushes may be seen plenty 
of Epidendrums, Maxillarias, and other inconspicuous 
Orchids, but two or three miles aback, where visitors 
rarely go, a very good collection can be made. One 
of the best is Scuticaria Steelii, with long, pendulous 
whip-like leaves and fine flowers richly perfumed. 
Near the ground, and sometimes on the sand, Sobralia 
sessilis opens its rosy flowers in the morning, but 
unfortunately they last but a few hours. Its stems, 
like small Bamboos, with leaves at the top, may 
cause it to be often overlooked. If fortunate, the 
collector may find Paphinia cristata, with crimson 
barred, pendulous flowers, and the little gem, 
Burlingtonia Candida, with delicate white and yellow 
flowers perfumed like Violets. Here I have found 
what is perhaps the smallest native Orchid, a species 
of Aeranthus, without leaves, the whole plant 
consisting of a few aerial roots, and a spike of flowers 
1 in. high. 
“ In sand, or on rocks in the interior, various 
species come to perfection, in fact many epiphytess 
grow well in either situation, but Cyrtopodium 
Andersoni, our finest sand Orchid, appears never to 
grow on trees. It has very long bulbs lined with 
Palm-like leaves, and a large panicle of bright yellow 
flowers, on a flower stem 6 ft. high. Where charcoal 
has been burnt, the banks 
of the pits, which look 
like newly-opened graves, 
are covered with Cata¬ 
setum discolor, its flowers 
like green or yellow 
quaker bonnets. 
“ Under a silk cotton 
tree at Soesdyk grows a 
terrestrial species with 
white spots on the leaves 
(Spiranthes); its flowers 
are however not very 
conspicuous. Among the 
cake of decomposing 
leaves in the forest, among 
Voyrias, I have found the 
singular Wullschlasgelia 
aphylla, a leafless root 
parasite with a few almost 
colourless flowers. 
“ On the savannahs, 
where the razor grass is 
not too thick, may be 
found the Ilabenaria ma- 
croceratatis (something 
like the English butterfly 
Orchis), its whitish flowers 
having spurs 6 ins. long. 
But the Queen of ground 
Orchids is Cleistes rosea. 
It is about 3 ft. high, with 
a leafy stem and two or 
three rosy-lipped flowers 
on the top. The park¬ 
like savannah in which 
they grow reminded me 
of an English meadow, as 
the thin wiry grass allowed 
myriads of Utricularias, 
Sauvagesias, Droseras, 
Burmannias, and other 
pretty low-flowering plants 
to grow to perfection. 
“ Some of the epiphy¬ 
tal Orchids are common 
on the Calabash trees sur¬ 
rounding the huts on the 
banks of rivers, and even 
the canals, near town. The crimson-flowered Bod- 
riguezia secunda, Notylia albida, with pendulous 
spikes of greenish-white flowers, and Ornithocephalus 
gladiatus, a pretty fan-like plant, 2 ins. or 3 ins. high, 
with little bird-like, white flowers, are found almost 
everywhere. Even the Moca Moca (Montrichardia 
arborescens) has its special epiphyte in the graceful 
Ionopsis utricularioides.” 
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Asparagus plumosus.— When we bought a plant of 
this several years ago, we grew it in our stove for some 
time, but found out by experience that this was a 
great mistake. Now the proper way to grow this Cape 
Asparagus is to plant it out (that is, if you want it for 
cutting from) in any light, airy house, into a compost 
of loam, leaf-mould, and sand, loam predominating. 
The place where it is to be planted should be well 
drained, and the plant should have a surfacing of cow 
dung and loam in spring. Our plants are simply 
thickets, and several people have mistaken them, 
when standing at a little distance, for climbing Ferns. 
—TJn Jardinier. 
