812 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
August 22nd, 1885. 
THE 
drrljitr (&wkm (Mrnto. 
The genus Mormodes. —The handsome varieties 
exhibited by Mr. Dorman and Mr. B. S. Williams at 
the Royal Horticultural Society on August 11th, -were 
much admired, and seemed to create additional interest 
in this quaint and hitherto rather neglected genus ; 
let us hope that it will lead to the better cultivation 
of the species of which it is composed. The flowers 
of all the species are curious, most of them are 
fragrant, and many are very handsome, so that there 
is not one which is not worthy of a place in collec¬ 
tions. A curious feature exists in many of the species, 
and is very strongly developed in M. luxatum and its 
varieties, viz., the disjointed and irregular arrange¬ 
ment of the flowers, they having the appearance of 
being twisted forcibly round. The column seems to 
be pressed up, and on one side the floral segments 
twisted so that the back sepal comes almost opposite 
one of the petals, and the other petal and the labellum 
is proportionately shifted on one side. The whole is 
no doubt a provision of nature to further reproduc¬ 
tion, and the irregularity (if so it may be called) is 
most regularly and accurately carried out. 
The Mormodes are natives chiefly of Mexico, Costa 
Rica, Guatemala, and other parts of S. America, but 
although many of them come from a high altitude, 
they may not be reckoned cold-house plants, as the 
damp of that division is injurious to them in winter ; 
at the same time they will not thrive in a close hot¬ 
house even when growing, as in such a position their 
leaves get thin and weak, and they do not get the 
necessary amount of air to assist in building up and 
hardening the tissues of their large and soft pseudo¬ 
bulbs. A position near the glass of the roof in an 
airy intermediate-house is best for all the species, 
and if potted into well-drained pots in fibry peat with 
a little sphagnum moss and placed there, they will 
grow well with ordinary care. Whilst forming their 
pseudo-bulbs and leaves, they want an unstinted 
supply of rain-water, but afterwards, when the leaves 
are turning yellow, it must be gradually withheld, 
until, when the leaves are all off, the plants are allowed 
to get quite dry. 
In the resting season, heat beyond 55 degs. or 
65 degs. is very injurious to them, and so is excessive 
moisture. I therefore used, after the leaves came off, 
always to place them together on a shelf in an airy 
part of the Cattleya-house, and out of the way of 
chance wettings until the growing time came again, 
but during the resting season I used to give them 
a little water sometimes, if anything like shrivelling 
appeared. The resting season is really the critical 
time with these plants, and it must be so managed 
that during that period they are neither chilled nor 
starved, but at the same time they must not be excited 
into premature growth in any way, and the best safe¬ 
guard against this is pure ah freely admitted. All 
the Mormodes make good basket plants, and are as 
safe in them as in pots if they can be so accommo¬ 
dated. 
The following are the species, some of which are 
rare in collections :— 
M. atropurpueea. —This was, perhaps, the first of 
the species introduced, it having been obtained by John 
Willmore, Esq., of Oldford, Birmingham, from the 
Spanish Main in 1834. It was figured in The Botani¬ 
cal Register, 1836, and afterwards in The Botanical 
Magazine, 1851, from Mr. J. Dillwyn Llewelyn’s col¬ 
lection at Penllergare, who got it from one of 
Warscewicz’s Panama gatherings. Flowers, many on 
an upright spike, all dark purplish-red, lip clothed 
with yellow hairs and curiously curled back. 
M. aeomaticum has flowers shaped somewhat like 
the preceding, creamy-white to orange, spotted with 
rose, column curved, rose-coloured, with bright yellow 
edges. Its variety oleo-aurantiacum, is orange 
coloured with dark purple streaks. 
M. buccinator. 1 —This is a very variable species, 
and several varieties of it have been distinguished. 
The flowers are showy, generally ochre-coloured, with 
numerous cinnamon dots, lip more sparsely spotted, 
and pale at the edges. 
M. Cartoni is a very pretty species ; it is well-figured 
in The Botanical Magazine, tab. 4214, 1846. It was 
sent from Santa Martha by Mr. Purdie, and first 
flowered at Syon House. Flowers, about two dozen on a 
spike, yellow, lined with reddish-orange. This species 
is also very variable, and the varieties aurantiacum and 
stenanthum resemble the type only in form. 
M. citrinum has flowers like M. Cartoni, generally 
all yellow. 
M. Colossus. —This extraordinary species was found 
by Warscewicz at an elevation of 7,000 ft. in Central 
America, and flowered with Messrs. James Veitch & 
Son in 1870. Flowers 5 ins. to 6 ins. across, sepals and 
petals pink lined with dark rose and margined with 
yellow; the lip, which clips up towards the column as 
usual in the genus, is bright yellow, with orange dots. 
It is a grand Orchid. 
M. Gbeeni (uncia) has massive flowers in form like 
M. luxatum, bright yellow, blotched with crimson, 
and the column tipped with purple. 
M. lentiginosum. —A curious species, which first 
flowered with Mrs. Lawrence, at Ealing Park. It has 
greenish-white flowers, freckled with purple, and 
shaped much like those of Catasetum callosum. 
M. lineatum has numerous flowers with narrow 
petals, orange lined with crimson, the segments having 
green outsides; lip very curious, with two curling horns, 
white, spotted with crimson ; column much curved. 
M. luxatum, the plant originally figured, has bright 
yellow flowers. 
M. luxatum ebup.neuh. —For this rare plant (and 
for its new varieties), which is so difficult to import, 
we are indebted to the perseverance of Mr. F. Sander, 
who, after many trials, has succeeded in getting over 
a fine lot, out of which the two following and other 
new varieties are flowering. It has twenty to thirty 
massive wax-like flowers on a spike; they are ivory- 
white, with purple blotch in the curious hollow and 
curved labellum. 
M. luxatum Dormanianum is a grand form of the 
preceding, with flowers heavily blotched with rosy- 
crimson. It was awarded a First-Class Certificate at 
the Royal Horticultural Society on August 11th. 
M. luxatum punctatum is in the same way as 
Dormanianum, but more lightly spotted. It also was 
awarded a First-Class Certificate when Mr. B. S. 
Williams exhibited it. 
M. Ocaxle is another of Messrs. Veitch’s fine intro¬ 
ductions. The large flowers are of a dull yellow 
ground colour, profusely speckled with reddish-brown 
spots. 
M. pardina has curious flowers which do not seem 
to expand well; yellow spotted with crimson, the variety 
unicolor being all yellow. 
M. Skixneri has flowers with sepals and petals 
orange, with fine longitudinal bars of red; lip yellow, 
with red spots. 
M. tibicen. —This was introduced in 1870 ; flowers 
yellow, with purple streaks, lip whitish. 
M. variable much resembles M. Cartoni, but with 
the lip larger, and having purplish spots. 
There are also several other varieties named, 
but those here enumerated are the' most distinct.— 
James O'Brien. 
Mr. Percival’s Collection at Birkdale, 
Southport. — On recently visiting this far-famed 
collection, I was much struck with the admirable 
condition which the plants are in, and the beautiful 
order in which everything is kept. The plants are 
in grand condition, and amongst them are many 
novelties of sterling merit. Mr. Percival s certainly 
to be congratulated on tbe grand varieties of which 
his collection is composed, and which, under the 
practical care of Mr. Beddoes, are in fine health. 
A brief description of the houses and their contents 
may be of interest to many. The first house is about 
85 ft. long, divided into two compartments, the first 
of which contains, amongst others, grand plants of 
Laeliapurpurata, a yard through, and Thunia Bensoni® 
and Marshalli, with growths over a yard long and 
wonderfully strong. 
The other division contains innumerable species and 
varieties of Cattleya, such as Mendelli, Mossire, two 
enormous masses of Percivalliana, maxima, a good 
variety in flower, the lovely Lrelia elegans prasiata, 
with fourteen flowers, besides many other grand sorts 
too numerous to mention. Another house of the 
same length and similarly constructed contains noble 
specimens of Dendrobium Wardianum, nobile, thyr- 
siflorum, crassinode, Paxtoni, Dalhousianum, densi- 
florum, primuliuum, &c., with extraordinary growths, 
and bidding fair to make a grand display at the 
proper seasons. In the next division are more 
Cattleyas, grand pieces of Triante, superb varieties 
of Mossi®, Percivalliana, and other leading sorts. 
In the Mexican-house, most noticeable are some 
fifty grand plants of Laelia anceps, and the fine 
variety L. anceps Percivalliana. These are throwing 
