860 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 4, 1893 
without roots in heat. Accordingly those shownig 
for bloom were stuck into the inside border of a 
Vinery, close to the hot-water pipes, and kept 
syringed and watered, the result being a fair amount 
of flowers at a time when flowers are scarce. Of 
course, the flowers were not so well developed as 
they would have been had they the aid of roots, but 
the perfume was very sweet, and the flowers accept¬ 
able. I have never seen this plan tried before, and 
should like to know if the idea is new.— S. 
CRYPTANTHUS ACAULIS ZEBRINUS. 
Some years ago this plant made its appearance in 
various collections as an ornamental foliaged subject, 
but lately it appears to have been neglected in all 
but botanical gardens. The foliage is not devoid of 
beauty and peculiar markings, however, especially 
after the young leaves have been produced and fuily 
matured. The peculiar wavy bands of colour run¬ 
ning across the leaves are due to the presence of 
scales arranged in bands. The leaves are rather 
spreading in habit, forming a dense rosette 6in. to 
12 in. in diameter ; they are undulated, serrate, deep 
olive green, covered with very wavy bands of sulphur 
yellow scales, that become grey when mature, and 
uniformly of that colour beneath. The upper sur¬ 
face only is exposed and is very pretty, well deserv¬ 
ing the varietal name of Zebrinus,. It is better 
known in gardens under the name of C. undulatus 
zebrinus, the specific name being given on account 
of the wavy character of the leaves and the varietal 
name in reference to the zebra-like stripes. There is 
also a purple-leaved variety in cultivation. The 
plant under notice may be seen at Kew. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
The Orchid Grower's Calendar. 
Cattleya House. — The weather we have been 
favoured with lately has been very favourable to the 
development of the later spikes of Lselia anceps, 
amongst which the white forms play a most prominent 
part. All lovers of Orchids are very much indebted 
to the firms who were the means of bringing the 
white forms to this country in such quantity, and to 
the collectors for their untiring labours in search of 
such gems. There cannot be said to be a bad one 
amongst them, but some are certainly better than 
others, and the one that carries off the palm is un¬ 
doubtedly L. a. Schroderiana, which is a massive and 
pure white flower, with the exception of the dark 
lines in the throat, which together with its 
square-shaped labellum form its distinctive character¬ 
istics. L. a. Stella comes next, and is also pure white, 
but the flower is not so large, and the labellatum 
takes more after the shape of an ordinary anceps. 
L. a. Sanderiana is somewhat in the way of L. a. 
Dawsoni, but the purple blotch on the lip is not so 
rich, and in some instances it is almost imperceptible. 
It appears, however, to be a free bloomer as 
compared with the other two, and on that account is 
valuable. 
Potting. — This work must now be pushed along 
in earnest. We shall repot the white varieties of 
Laslia anceps that are not flowering first, as they 
begin to root earlier than the dark ones. We re¬ 
potted a few of these in the autumn, just to see 
which plan suited them best, and I am pleased to say 
that they have kept rooting steadily into the new 
material, and have kept plump without much water 
being given them otherwise than by syringing between 
the pots, and should there be any that do not make 
flowering growths this coming season they will be 
treated in the same way. The dark varieties and the 
white ones too as they go out of flower will have a 
thorough clean up. and be allowed to plump up their 
pseudo-bulbs before being shifted. Those in pots 
will be repotted, but those in the baskets (unless 
they have outgrown them) will only have the old 
material and all the crocks possible removed, and re¬ 
placed with fresh peat and moss, and clean crocks. 
Potting Compost. —The peat must not be too 
wet nor too dry when using it, and the same remark 
applies also to the sphagnum moss. The latter is 
easily dried by spreading it along the paths of the 
Cattleya house, but not too near the hot-water pipes. 
We make up a potting bench in the same house as 
the plants to be repotted are growing, and the 
material for use is allowed to stand in this house 
twenty-four hours before being used ; it is then of the 
same temperature as the pi ants, which is very essential. 
If the compost is about right as regards moisture, 
very little, if any, water will be required for a week 
other than a sprinkle with the syringe, as the roots 
enter the new compost more readily when it is not 
too wet. 
Cool House. —Cattleya citrina is showing well 
for flower, and as ours are grown on bare partially 
charred blocks of deal, we have to feed them to keep 
them in vigorous health. Consequently, weak guano 
water will be afforded from now onwards once a 
week. 
The Temperatures of all the houses should be 
raised a few degrees. East India 65° at night; 
Cattley House 58” at night; Cool House 50° at 
night, with a rise from 5 0 to io° by day, according 
to the weather — C. 
Odontoglossums from Birdhill. 
Four varieties of O. crispum have reached us from 
Captain Twiss, Birdhill, Limerick. Three of them 
were round flowers of average size and very choice. 
One was pure white with exception of a few reddish 
brown spots and a yellow disc on the lip, All parts 
of the flower were beautifully crisped. The other 
varieties are flowering for the first time. One of 
them was in the way of O. crispum guttatum, but 
differed in the petals being devoid of the bold 
blotches characteristic of the other segments. The 
prettiest flower of all, in our opinion, was that in 
which the sepals were tinted with rosy purple with a 
few brownish-purple spots about the middle. The 
petals were slightly flushed with the same hue, as 
was the lip, the latter being spotted with deep 
cinnamon brown in front of the crest. The whole 
flower was beautifully crisped and undulated. The 
fourth flower was the largest, but not so choice 
according to our taste. The sepals were long but 
relatively narrow, and the petals deeply cut. The 
lower half of the lip was beautifully edged with 
purple spots like a Picotee. A noteworthy feature of 
the flower was an oblong purple blotch at the base 
of each of the sepals and petals, recalling what 
occurs in O. odoratum, O. mirandum, and others of 
that group. 
The undermentioned Orchids, exhibited amongst 
others at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society on the 17th ult., were accorded certificates 
according to merit : — 
Calanthe gigas. 
Not a few of those present at the meeting gave vent 
to the expression that this was the finest new thing 
amongst Orchids exhibited that day. It is indeed a 
giant amongst its kind, as might have been expected 
when we consider its parentage. We understand the 
seed-parent was C. vestita gigantea, crossed with the 
pollen of C. Sanderiana gigantea. The flower-scape 
is stout, standing erect without support of any kind, 
reaching a height of 3^ ft. or 4 ft., and bearing a 
raceme of noble flowers on the upper portion. 
Altogether it is certainly a bold and stately plant. 
The leaves themselves are lanceolate, 2 ft. long, and 
were in perfect condition when the plant was shown. 
The sepals are lanceolate-elliptic, the petals nar¬ 
rowly obovate and all of a faint blush tint. The lip 
is rather deeply four-lobed, and rose, deepening to 
crim'on at the base. Each individual bloom is of 
great size, and quite in proportion to the vigour of 
the plant. A First-class Certificate was deservedly 
awarded it. 
Cypripedium Penlaus. 
The seed-parents of this hybrid was C. calurum, 
itself a hybrid, and the pollen-parent was C. cauda- 
tum. All three therefore belong to the section 
Selenipedium. The leaves are lanceolate, channelled 
and shining deep green. The scape bears two or 
more flowers. The upper sepal is lanceolate and 
yellow. The petals are intermediate between those 
of the parents, linear-lanceolate, longer than those 
of the seed-parent, but never reaching the dimen¬ 
sions of C. caudatum, and deep purple with the 
central and basal portion greenish yellow. The lip 
is also very dark, being of a deep reddish purple, 
with the infolded sides yellow and spotted with 
purple. The staminode is yellowish, with a line of 
purple hairs on the edges. A First-class Certificate 
was awarded it. 
Cypripedium Phaedra. 
Here, again, we have a hybrid of complicated 
parentage, C. Sedeni candidulum being the seed- 
parent and C. Lindleyanum the pollen-bearer. All 
are, therefore, of the Selenipedium group. The 
linear, channelled leaves are 12 in. to 18 in. long, 
and of a rich shining green. The scape bears five 
to six or more flow’ers. The upper sepal is oblong, 
nearly of equal width throughout, and therefore very- 
unusual for a Cypripedium ; it is of a creamy hue 
on the upper and pink on the low-er half. The 
petals are oblong-lanceolate, blunt, and pink, with 
purple hairs at the base. The lip is short, and 
roundish or inflated, purple and yellow on the in¬ 
folded sides, which are spotted. The curiously 
shaped staminode, or central shield, is somewhat 
three-lobed, and yellow, with purple hairs on the 
edges. An Award of Merit was accorded the hybrid. 
Cypripedium genminyanum. 
Altogether different in type is this from any of 
the above-named Cypripediums ; and as C. villosum 
was the seed-parent and C. hirsutissimum the pollen- 
parent, it therefore belongs to Cypripedium proper. 
The ligulate leaves are faintly tesselated, and the 
scape bears a single flower. The upper sepal is 
narrowly obovate, incurved at the sides, and deep 
bronzy brown, reticulated with darker nerves and 
yellow towards the margin. The petals are undu¬ 
late on the upper margin, spathulate, rosy purple on 
the upper longitudinal half, yellowish flushed with 
lilac on the lower longitudinal half, and having a 
brownish purple mid-rib. The lip is rosy purple, 
and yellowish spotted with purple on the infolded 
sides; the staminode is roundish and pale purple. 
An Award of Merit was accorded it. The Calanthe 
and the three Cypripediums above noticed were 
exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
Cychnoches pentadactylon. 
Some sensation was caused by a fine piece of this, 
consisting of three young growths bearing ten long 
racemes of showy flowers, exhibited by W. W. 
Mann, Esq. (gardener, Mr. J. Simmon), Ravens- 
wood, Bexley. Individually the flowers were of 
ample proportions, although, as might be expected, 
they are much inferior in this respect to the better 
known C. chlorochilon. "I he sepals are lanceolate, 
and pale yellow blotched with crimson, while the 
petals are similar in colour, but falcate or curved. 
The lip, singularly enough, is the least conspicuous 
•organ of the flower, and at the same time the most 
curious. It is white, spotted with purple, slender, 
and three-lobed ; the lateral lobes are incurved and 
hook-like, while the linear terminal lobe has two 
small lobes or teeth likewise, about the middle. 
The pseudo-bulbs are 9 in. to 15 in long, cylindrical, 
and the larger would bear about eleven leaves of 
various sizes. A First-class Certificate was awarded 
it. The numerous beautifully marked flowers inter¬ 
mixing with the foliage v>ere very attractive. 
Cynorchis grandiflora. 
The habit of this terrestrial Orchid is very similar 
to that of a Lachenalia as far as the leaves are con¬ 
cerned, but the flowers at a little distance strongly 
resemble those of a Pinguicula in their form and 
general appearance. The various species of the 
genus are natives of the Mascaren Islands, and 
differ chiefly from that of our native species of 
Habenaria by the lip being adherent to the face of 
the column. The leaves are linear, channelled, and 
keeled, and the scape one-flowered. The sepals are 
oblong, and greenish spotted with purple on both 
surfaces, but most conspicuously on the inner face. 
The petals are connivent under the upper sepal, and 
white. Ihe lip is deeply four-lobed, and rose- 
coloured, deepening to crimson at the base, with 
four white lines running along it at the base ; the 
two lower lobes are oblong-obovate, and the upper 
pair linear. The spur is about 2 in. long, stout, and 
purplish. A Botanical Ceitificate was accorded it 
when shown by Messrs. Lewis & Co., Southgate. 
Bulbophyllum comosum. 
In general appearance this approaches some of the 
species of the sub-genus Cirrhopetalum. The 
flowers are white, and densely crowded together in 
a cylindrical spike at the top of the flower-stalk. The 
latter makes a sharp curve or bend just beneath the 
spike of flowers, so that the spike is pendent or 
drooping. The sepals are linear-lanceolate, all con¬ 
siderably elongated and ciliated on both edges with 
white hairs. The flowers are slightly fragrant, and 
on the whole possess a considerable amount of 
interest to collectors of botanical curiosities. Cut 
flowers were sent over from the Royal Botanic 
Garden, Glasnevin, and were awarded a Botanical 
Certificate. The species is a native of Burma. 
