328 
January 21, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
it requires in the way of materials, while the moist 
atmosphere of a moderately warm Orchid house, and 
plenty of water in the growing season will suffice for 
attention and treatment. A few plants suspended 
from the roof of a house will give a succession of 
flowers for many months together, say from April to 
November, as it did last year in the nursery of 
Messrs. B. S. Williams & Sons, Upper Holloway. 
The rhizomes run freely amongst the sphagnum, 
making propagation a work of the easiest accom¬ 
plishment. It is matter for surprise that the plant is 
not more extensively cultivated considering the 
satisfaction it gives for a small amount of attention. 
ASPLENIUM EBENEUM. 
Although introduced as early as 1779 from Canada, 
this Asplenium is anything but common in this 
country, whatever the reason may be. The fronds 
themselves are dark green and shapely in form, but 
s imewhat spreading, so that the plant as a whole 
loses in compactness and effect. It belongs to the 
same group as our native A. Trichomanes, but is 
altogether a larger plant with longer pinnae. The 
fronds themselves vary from i2in. to 18 in., but are 
frequently under the lower figure in a cultivated 
state, while 12 in. may be regarded as the average. 
The pinnae are linear-oblong, serrate at the edge, and 
cordate at .the base. In America it is widely 
distributed from Canada to various parts of South 
America. It has turned up at Falkland Park, South 
Norwood Hill, on the recently imported Cattleya 
labiata, and was immediately recognised as a 
stranger although, as it turns out, it is not a new intro¬ 
duction. 
NEPHROLEPIS DAVALLIOIDES MULTICEPS. 
Of the several forms of N. davallioides now in culti¬ 
vation this takes rank as one of the finest, on account 
of its dwarf, compact habit and much divided fronds. 
The apex is deeply forked and branched so as to 
make a large loose tassel, while the apex of the side 
pinnae is deeply forked and elongated. The plants 
are grown in 32-size pots in the Dyson’s Lane 
Nurseries of Mr. H. B. May, Upper Edmonton, and 
are sufficiently ornamental to ensure pretty wide dis¬ 
tribution in gardens when the variety becomes 
common. Hitherto N. d. furcans seems to have en¬ 
joyed more extended cultivation than the type, but 
those who like crested or multified Ferns will grow 
N. davallioides multiceps in preference to the former. 
Its popularity will, of course, depend to a large 
extent upon the freedom with which it can be pro¬ 
pagated. N. davallioides is not so free in this 
respect as N. exaltata. 
THE WINTER CHERRY AS A DECORATIVE 
PLANT. 
It has been repeatedly stated that the WinterCherry, 
Physalis Alkekengi, is of no use as a decorative sub¬ 
ject, but it is a very prominent plant in the herbaceous 
border during the autumn months, when the stems, 
from one to two feet long, are well clothed with its 
red berries covered with the orange coloured calyx, 
and I have seen it put to very good account lately in 
Church decorations. A lady was supplied with a 
good bunch of the dried stems with their fruits upon 
them. She had the dead leaves cut off, and the 
paper like calyxes picked off the berries, and wired the 
stems amongst variegated box, which she trained up 
the panels of the pulpit and wreathed around it. 
The result was a very pretty effect, the red berries 
being large were very conspicuous in the design, and 
looked as bright a fortnight after Christmas as 
they did when first put up. Therefore let no 
one say henceforth that the Winter Cherry is of no 
service as a decorative subject.— 7 '. W. 
PAULLINIA OOEANiCA. 
Several of the species of Paullinia are climbers, 
but few of them have been introduced to cultivation. 
The best known is P. thalictrifolia, which does best 
When grown upon a wire trellis or on a column of 
soil enclosed by wire. The slender climbing stems 
can then root into the soil as certain others would 
upon a Tree Fern stem. P. oceanica is quite of a 
different habit, being erect like an Aralia and there¬ 
fore suitable for table decoration. The leaves are 
very variable in character, pinnate or bipinnate, and 
12 in. to 15 in. long. The leaflets or segments are 
ovate, the basal ones small and the terminal one 
always the largest. The petioles are*also more or 
ess win ged. The species was introduced from the 
South Sea Islands in 1875, and requires stove treat¬ 
ment like P. thalictrifolia The plants may be kept 
of a suitable size by propagation from cuttings. We 
noted plants of it in the nursery of Messrs. B. S. 
Williams & Sons, Upper Holloway. 
POINSETTIAS. 
There are few establishments requiring flowering 
plants at Christmas that do not grow a quantity of 
Euphorbia pulcherrima, generally known as Poln- 
settia; it is generally associated with E. fulgens, be¬ 
longing to the same order, although so entirely 
different, owing to the large bracts attending the 
clusters of flowers in the former. A large batch 
occupying a great part of one side of a span roofed 
house was grown by Mr. Geo. Reynolds, gardener to 
the Messrs, de Rothschild, Gunnersbury Park, 
Acton, for Christmas work chiefly. By propagation 
at different times a set of plants was obtained, rang¬ 
ing in height from 2.| ft. to 6 in. in height. The size 
of the bracts ranged in like proportion from 6 in. to 
14 in. across the heads. The mild autumn, the com¬ 
parative absence of fog, and relatively clear sky for a 
London suburb, had no doubt been greatly in their 
favour, and enabled them to retain their foliage in 
the way they did. We know from experience that 
the leaves are more tender than the bracts, that is, 
they are more susceptible to injury during foggy 
times, losing all their leaves in bad cases. 
DRESSING CARNATIONS. 
I notice a couple of misprints in my remarks under 
the above heading, p. 30S, which, as they a little 
obscure the context, I may perhaps be allowed to 
correct. In the second paragraph instead of 
“ commencing ” read “ communing and working with 
Nature,” and in the fifth paragraph for " dressing by 
competitive ” read “ by competent hands.”—Ilf. 
Rowan. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Cattleya gloriosa and C. majestica. 
I thank you for your courtesy in publishing my last 
letter on C. labiata alba. I have never doubted your 
perfect impartiality, which I have had the pleasure 
of proving on several occasions. Allow me a few 
lines in reply to Mr. Earl, who in your last number 
asks if Cattleya gloriosa and C. majestica have yet 
flowered any where,and if they belong to C.Gaskelliana 
or C. labiata. I reply that they are varieties of C. 
labiata coming from localities sufficiently distant from 
the places where our ordinary forms of Cattleya 
Warocqueana have been collected, that is to say, C. 
labiata of the famous “ Swainson’s hunting ground.’’ * 
C. gloriosa is distinguished by its much clearer leaves 
and almost yellow pseudo-bulbs,and of its flowers the 
sepals and petals are white or whitish, and a lip 
speckled with a purple blotch of greater or less size. 
I saw it in flower at the end of October last, in the 
superb collection of M. Treyeran, of Bordeaux, an 
admirable specimen which bore ten flowers. That 
plant came out of our sale, of the 30th October, 1891, 
at Messrs. Protheroe & Morris’s Rooms. I have 
received flowers of the same variety from several 
amateurs, notably from M. Cahuzac, likewise of 
Bordeaux. We have had some beautiful specimens 
of it in flower at L'Horticulture Internationale, where 
they have been admired by numerous visitors ; and 
lastly a magnificent variety flowered with Dr. Capart 
of Brussels, in November last. Cattleya gloriosa 
corresponds entirely with the description which 
The Gardening World of the 12th of November 
last (p. 169) gives of C. labiata Sanderse. They 
appear to me to be synonyms. C. majestica has 
reddish and very long leaves and pseudo-bulbs, 
“ titanic leaves and titanic pseudo-bulbs.” The 
flowers are large and highly coloured. M. G. 
Warocque exhibited some beautiful specimens of it 
at the October meeting of l'Orchideenne at Brussels, 
where they caused a sensation. C. majestica is no 
longer an unknown plant in England. The Garden¬ 
ing World of the 17th December last (p. 248) gives 
a description of it, and says that it has flowered with 
Messrs, de Rothschild, at Gunnersbury Park, and 
proves to be a variety of particular merit. Finally 
an example of C. 1 . majestica in flower was put up at 
our sale of the 30th October, 1891, at Messrs. 
Protheroe & Morris’s Rooms, and was sold for 11 
guineas (see Gardening World, November 7th, 
1891, p. 152). I have the satisfaction of proving on 
this occasion that The Gardening World is one of 
the best informed journals. Behold again what the 
Gardeners' Chronicle of the 7th November, 1891, p. 
554, says : ” The plants of a supposed new form of 
C. labiata, named majestica, looked good, and the 
best pieces fetched from five to eleven guineas.” 
Finally, allow me, if you please, to ask a question. 
Why did Mr. Sander, who has always upheld that our 
C. Warocquena is not - the old labiata, cause the 
plate of Cattleya labiata which figures in the last 
number of hk Reichenbachia to be prepared from 
two plants coming from our importation, instead of 
choosing them from amongst his own ? That such 
is the fact appears from a letter received from Mr. 
Ed. Moon, dated 1st January last, in which he says: 
The labiatas in Reichenbachia were out of your 
importation, and by no means the best of them.”— 
L. Linden, L' Horticulture Internationale, Brussels 
January i^th. 
As regards Mr. Earl’s queries in ynur issue of 
January 14th, regarding Cattleya gloriosa and 
Cattleya majestica, they are neither of them a bit 
like Cattleya Gaskelliana. They are both of them in 
my opinion good forms of Cattleya labiata (vera), the 
autumn flowering Cattleya. Majestica is a grand 
form with larger bulbs and flowers than any other, 
and the flowers are rich in colour. Gloriosa, which 
has recently flowered in my collection, and which I 
had the opportunity of comparing with the autumn 
flowering Cattleya labiata (vera) which had flowers 
open at the same time, is also undoubtedly a variety 
of that plant. The only distinctive difference I could 
find was that C. gloriosa was more richly coloured 
with yellow at the base of the lip. In Cattleya 
labiata (vera), the type, the blotch at the base of the 
lip is of pale yellow freely streaked with reddish pur¬ 
ple. In the variety gloriosa, the yellow at the base 
of the lip is of richer colour, and there are very few 
reddish-purple veins crossing it. I am doubtful 
whether the difference noted is sufficient to entitle it 
to a separate name, but the name may be useful to 
distinguish it as a variety.— Emerick S. Berkeley, 
Bitterne, Southampton. 
Odontoglossum Wallisii. 
The general aspect of this Odontoglot is not such as 
to win its way with the general public on account of 
its small size; but to those who really know Orchids 
it is highly interesting and distinct. As far as size 
and the leading colours are concerned it may be 
compared with O. Lindleyanum and O. Sanderianum, 
but the structure of the lip and the crest are different 
in either case. The species may, however, be recog¬ 
nised even when out of flower by means of the 
narrow and grassy leaves, while the latter are 
lanceolate or strap-shaped in both the other species 
named. The sepals are oblong-lanceolate and 
cinnamon brown, edged with yellow, and the petals 
are similar in shape but yellow blotched with brown. 
The lower half of the fiddle-shaped lip is white 
spotted with purple near the base, while the upper 
half is pale rose. There is a pubescent patch upon 
the middle of it, which serves in a measure to dis¬ 
tinguish the species from all others coming under 
our observation. It was originally discovered by 
Wallis in 1868, and is now moderately plentiful in 
this country. The lip is sometimes wholly white 
with exception of some rosy-purple spots near the 
base. The typical form was sent us the other day 
by Captain Robert Twiss, Birdhill House, Birdhill, 
co. Tipperary, Ireland. 
The Orchid Growers' Calendar. 
East India House.— The weather of the past two 
or three weeks has been most trying to the occupants 
of this division, and the energies of the grower have 
been taxed to the utmost to tide them through 
perhaps the worst month in the year. Saccolabiums, 
Aerides, Angrsecums, etc., should still be kept on the 
dry side, or spotting of the foliage will ensue. It is 
really surprising what a long time these plants will 
go without a real good watering, considering that 
they have no pseudo-bulbs for the storage of 
moisture. There is, however, a limit, and that is 
reached when the lower leaves show the least signs 
of shrinking, a good watering may then be given. 
Phalmnopsis too will be better if kept rather on the 
dry side, at the same time do not allow them to 
suffer for the want of W'ater, or they will resent the 
treatment by dropping their bottom leaves, which it 
is the ambition of all growers to retain as long as 
possible, knowing full well that without foliage large 
spikes and good flowers are impossible. Thrips are 
