May 7, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
571 
ORCHID NOTES & GLEANINGS. 
By the Editor. 
Laelia elegans Mrs. Moojen—The flowers of 
this variety are of large size and differ in form from 
those of the more common types in cultivation. L. 
elegans is so variable, however, that some 
authorities do not hesitate to consider it a natural 
hybrid between Laelia purpurata and Cattleya gut¬ 
tata. Some of the forms, at least, favour this view. 
The form under notice has white sepals and petals, 
faintly tinted with blush, at least, after it has been 
open for a week or more. The petals are twice as 
broad as the sepals, being elliptic-oblong, and 
measuring ins. or nearly so across the middle. 
The tube of the lip is white on both surfaces or 
slightly tinted blush ; the side lobes and the apical 
one are crimson-purple, with a small, pale blotch at 
the apex of the latter. This rich colour narrows at 
the base of the lamina into a band of the same 
colour, running almost to the base of the tube. The 
column is white, slightly tinted purple, especially on 
the concave inner face. This fine variety has been 
flowering for some time past with Mr. J. Segar, 
Bandon Hill, Croydon. 
- 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The awards mentioned hereunder were granted by 
the Royal Horticultural Society on the 26th ult. 
Orchid Committee. 
Laeliocattleya wellsiana langleyensis. 
Nov. hyb. var. —The seed parent was Cattleya 
Trianaei, and the pollen bearer Laelia purpurata. 
The sepals are pale lilac and the petals a shade 
darker. The large orbicular lamina of the lip is 
crimson-purple; the outer face of the tube is deep 
purple, and the blotch in the throat yellow. Form 
and colour are chiefly due to Laelia purpurata, and 
the variety is far superior to the type. First-class 
Certificate. Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. 
Laeliocattleya Thorntoni. Nov. hyb. bigen .— 
This was derived from Cattleya gaskelliana crossed 
with the pollen of Laelia digbyana, and the result is 
a bold, handsome and very singular flower. The 
sepals and petals are soft mauve, the latter being 
finely fringed or toothed on the outer edges. The 
large, deeply bifid lip is deeply fringed all round the 
margins, lilac with a broad lemon disc, and strikingly 
distinct. First-class Certificate. Messrs. J. Veitch 
& Sons, Ltd. 
Cattleya Schroderae amabilis. Nov. var .— 
The sepals are blush and the petals soft silvery lilac. 
The lip is characterised by a large coppery-orange 
blotch in the throat, and the base of the lamina is 
beautifully shaded with pale blue. It is altogether 
a very choice variety. Award of Merit. Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons, Ltd. 
Odontoglossum Pescatorei Duchess of West¬ 
minster. Nov. var. —The pure white flowers of this 
striking variety are handsomely blotched all over 
with circular, violet markings. It received an Award 
of Merit, but deserved a higher honour. The Duke 
of Westminster (gardener, Mr. N. Barnes), Eaton 
Hall, Chester. 
Cattleya Sedeni. Nov. hyb. —This is the result 
of crossing C. lawrenceana with C. percivaliana. 
The sepals and ovate petals are deep rose. The 
strongly curved tube of the lip is deep purple, the 
lamina crimson-purple and the throat yellow, making 
altogether a handsome hybrid. Award of Merit. 
C. L. N. Ingram, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Bond), 
Elstead House, Godaiming. 
Cymbidium canaliculatum —This bears a long 
raceme of flowers, the oblong sepals and lanceolate 
petals of which are almost black. The lip is crimson- 
red with a white band along the centre. Award of 
Merit. J. Sparks, Esq , Heatbcote, Ewhurst. 
Cattleya Schroderae Harefield Hall var. 
Nov. var .—The sepals and ovate, crisped petals are 
blush, while the lamina of the lip has lilac margins, 
a dark purple disc and two orange blotches in the 
throat. It is a highly meritorious variety. E. 
Ashworth, Esq (gardener, Mr. H. Holbrook), Hare- 
field Hall, Wilmslow. 
Cattleya Mendelii Beatrice Ashworth. Nov. 
var .—The sepals and petals in this case are of a faint 
blush, while the lip is pure white, with a yellow 
blotch in the throat, mking a chaste and beautiful 
variety. Award of Merit, E. Ashworth, Esq. 
Mormodes oenanthum. —The singular dull red, 
purple flowers of this species are strongly scented, 
and have the lip sharply reflexed at the sides. One 
pseudobulb carried three racemes. Botanical Certifi¬ 
cate. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr. W. 
H. White), Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
Odontoglossum hunewellianum maximum. Nov- 
var. —The flowers of this form are much larger than 
the type and almost covered with chestnut blotches. 
The petals have very numerous, smaller spots on a 
pale yellow ground. The lip is white, spotted with 
purple-brown. Award of Merit. H. Greenwood, 
Esq., Highfield, Haslingden. 
Floral Committee. 
Deutzia parviflora. —This is a distinct and pretty 
species, with corymbs of pure white flowers like 
those of a Spiraea and leaves quite characteristic of 
Deutzia. Award of Merit. Messrs. J. Veitch & 
Sons, Ltd. 
Azaleodendron Edouard Andre. —The parents 
of this hybrid were Azalea mollis and a variety of 
Rhododendron ponticum. The flowers are rose, 
spotted on the upper segments with crimson. The 
oisped, lanceolate leaves are evergreen. Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons, Ltd. 
Pteris Summersi •—This may be described as a 
crested form of the well-known P. Wimsetti. Every 
pinna is heavily crested and the variety of first-class 
merit for decorative and market purposes. Award of 
Merit. Mr. H. B. May, Dyson's Lane Nurseries, 
Upper Edmonton. 
Richardia Rhodesia. —The spathe of this new 
form is of great size and rich golden-yellow, with a 
green midrib externally. The broad, triangular 
leaves are spotted with white. There is a black 
blotch at the base of the spathe. It is a great 
imropvement on the better known yellow sorts. 
Award of Merit, Leopold de Rothschild, Esq. (gar¬ 
dener, Mr. J. Jennings), Ascott, Leighton Buzzard. 
Primrose Evelyn Arkwright. —The flowers of 
this variety are of enormous size, measuring 2 in. to 
2| in. across. They are primrose-yellow with a five- 
lobed orange eye. The original stock of it was found 
wild in Dinmore Wood, Herefordshire, in 1887, and 
has retained its character to the third generation 
from seed. Award of Merit. J. H. Arkwright, 
Esq., Hampton Court, Leominster, Herefordshire. 
Rhododendron Handsworth White. — The 
flowers of this ponticum variety are profusely pro¬ 
duced, and white tinted with pink along the ribs,and 
spotted with yellow on the upper segments. Award 
of Merit. Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt. 
The Dawson Rose.— This looks like a hybrid be¬ 
tween the China and polyantha Roses. The flowers 
are semi-double, and rosy-pink. Award of Merit. 
Messrs. Paul & Son. 
Narcissus Committee. 
Narcissus Will Scarlett. —The white segments 
of this hybrid are those of N. poeticus. The crown 
is very wide or bowl-shaped, and of a rich orange 
almost to the base. The variety is certainly hand¬ 
some. First-class Certificate. Rev. G. H. EDgle- 
heart, Appleshaw, Andover. 
Narcissus poeticus Diadem. —The segments of 
this variety are sulphur at first, fading to white. The 
cup is very wide, shallow, and bright orange at the 
edges. Award of Merit. Rev. G. H. Engleheart. 
Narcissus White Wing. —The segments are 
ovate and white. The cup is of moderate length, 
narrow, and clear yellow. Award of Merit. Rev. 
G. H. Engleheart. 
Narcissus White Lady. The flowers of this 
form are of large size, with white segments, shaped 
like those of N. poeticus. The short, crisped cup is 
lemon-coloured. Award of Merit. Rev. G. H. 
Engleheart. 
The National Auricula and Primula Society made 
the undermentioned awards at the Drill Hall, on the 
26th ult. 
Auricula Hiawatha (Douglas). —This variety 
belongs to the Alpine section, and has a rich golden 
eye, maroon ground colour, and a buff-red edge of an 
uncommon shade. First-class Certificate, Mrs. F. 
Whitbourne (gardener, Mr. J. W. Euston), Great 
Gearies, Ilford, Essex. 
Auricula Firefly (Douglas). —Here again the 
eye of this Alpine Auricula is golden ; the ground 
colour much reduced iu extent, and maroon-crimson ; 
while the edge is broad and bright crimson. First- 
class Certificate. Mr. James Douglas, Edenside, 
Great Bookham, Surrey. 
Auricula Olympus (Douglas). — In this we have 
a gray-edged, show variety of first-class merit. The 
maroon ground is limited in extent, and the paste 
pure white. First-class Certificate. Mr. James 
Douglas. 
Auricula Mrs. Dranfield. — This is a self- 
coloured, violet show Auricula, with a white paste. 
The flowers are larger and flatter, and the throat and 
paste better than those of the well-known variety 
Mrs. Potts. The variety is therefore choice and 
handsome. First-class Certificate. Mrs. Dranfield, 
(gardener, Mr. Charles Phillips), Dranfield. 
--*•- 
HOW A KNOWLEDGE OF BOTANY IS 
A HELP TO GARDENING. 
(Continued from p. 551). 
Now we will go on to consider the organs of nutri¬ 
tion,and the manner in which the operation is carried 
on by root, stem, and leaf. The root is the first part 
which makes its appearance, and serves not only as 
a nutritive organ, but also holds the plant in the 
ground. Roots assume various forms, and it is not 
always an easy matter to distinguish between a root 
and a stem, especially that of an underground stem. 
Take for instance the Moutan Paeony, and Anemone 
japonica, both of which have a great power of form¬ 
ing buds upon the root. 
Well, before we get too far above ground let us 
look for a moment at the functions of the root and 
let us see whether a knowledge of the botany of 
this particular part of the plant, will be of any help 
to the gardener. 
Roots absorb nourishment by a process known as 
imbibition, which means a flow inwards, and it is by 
the extremities alone that this process is carried 
on ; but right at the very point of the root, there is 
what is known as the root cap, which covers the 
growing point of the root. It is far better adapted 
to push its way through the soil than the very soft 
cellular tissue which is immediately behind it ; and 
it is by the extremities of the roots and the root 
hairs that the whole of the nourishment is taken 
up. 
To prove this statement, here is a very interesting 
experiment that you can try for yourselves, and one 
that will afford you much pleasure whenever you 
have a few minutes to spare. Take a small flourish¬ 
ing plant, fix it in some position so that the points of 
the roots can just be immersed in water, and you 
will find that so long as the extremities are immersed 
the plant will flourish. Now, fix it in another posi¬ 
tion, and let the extremities of the root be in dry 
air and all the other part of the root immersed, and 
in this case ycu will find that the plant will wither 
and die. 
Then there is another thing to be taken into con¬ 
sideration in connection with the root taking up 
nourishment, and that is that those little rootlets 
cannot absorb anything of a much greater density 
than water ; so you quite understand before anything 
can be plant-food it has to be brought to a state of 
solution. Therefore, what a lesson we learn here in 
connection with the feeding of plants, and especially 
those in pots. 
I do not believe in the plan that some recommend 
for using artificial manure, especially that of putting 
it upon the surface of the soil for pot plants. My 
first objection to this is that the time the water 
occupies in soaking through the surface of the soil is 
not sufficient to bring much manurial substances to a 
state of solution and the consequence is that a great 
deal of ammonia and other gasses is carried off by 
the air which should have been carried down to the 
roots. 
Secondly, my objection is that the manure so 
used lays upon the surface of the pot in lumps, and 
the result is, by the burning nature of some manures, 
that the roots immediately under become damaged, 
and consequently the plants suffer. 
Then the third objection is that by placing manure 
on the top of the soil in this way, you are stopping 
the air passages of the soil and this will soon throw 
your plants into a bad state of health, because the 
moment the air passages become stopped there is a 
great difficulty in soaking the ball with moisture in 
a proper manner. 
