486 
April 3, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
having its white rays continued to the apex. So 
diverse are the colours that scarcely two of the 
varieties now flowering for the first time are exactly 
alike. 
In another part of the house are some beautifully 
distinct flowers contrasting strongly. For instance, 
Thaisa has numarous red lines on a white ground, 
except on the lower segment which is white. 
Tamora bears five flowers on one scape and is 
unique as far as colour is concerned. The blooms 
are moderate in size and velvety maroon-crimson 
towards the apex, but distinctly suffused with purple 
in the throat. It is as charming as distinct. Sadi, 
close by, has white flowers with a scarlet band along 
the centre of the three outer segments. A huge and 
flat open flower is Ora and quite of the first water 
for quality, The blooms are crimson, heavily shaded 
with maroon in the throat, and of a pleasing pale 
green in the very centre. A noble flower is Asmodia, 
of a maroon-crimson and almost black in the throat. 
We have not seen a yellow Amaryllis, but there is a 
more or less marked yellow tint in the ground colour 
of Argo, with a scarlet band along the centre of each 
segment. 
Undoubtedly the finest white in the collection this 
year is Iphis, and we are surprised it did not receive 
an Award of Merit at the last meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society The flowers are pure white, 
thinly mottled with small red specks towards the 
edges, the markings being more numerous on the 
outer face. A beautifully margined flower is 
Corisande, of a clear scarlet, pure white at the edges 
and beautifully regular in outline. Yet another fine 
light variety occurs in Blanche, the ground colour of 
which is pure white, with a few red streaks on either 
side of the midrib; the centre is pale green. Quite 
a number of the light varieties above mentioned give 
us cause to hope that pure white ones will turn up 
presently. In our opinion the best of the light 
salmon-coloured flowers is that named Emin, the 
colour being uniform and unbroken, except for the 
pure white rays which run to the apex. The beauty 
of the lighter shades is best seen by contrast with 
the darker ones, but they are chaste and charming 
even if grown by themselves, and worthy of being 
included in any collection. Their absence would be 
a distinct loss where the brilliancy of the crimson 
and scarlet flowers requires toning down to make 
them more agreeable to the eyes which require 
something more restful after gazing on the intensely 
dark and more aggresive colours. 
Whether the flowers can be still further enlarged 
is a question of time, probably ; but we think that 
many of the above mentioned are quite large enough 
for any purpose. While there is a danger of large 
flowers becoming coarse, that may not always 
happen. Mere size or breadth of flower may be as 
much the result of flattening out at the expense of 
the tube, as to the actual enlargement of all parts. 
In any case, those flowers which have a long tube, 
are seldom, if ever, remarkable for their breadth. A 
short tube, however, we are convinced, is a distinct 
advantage, because it displays the whole combina¬ 
tion of colours in these remarkable denizens of the 
tropics. Messrs. Veitch’s collection is certainly 
maintaining its pre-eminence in this respect; for 
many huge flowers of good substance have scarcely 
any tube at all. 
--f*- 
SPECIMEN CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
I must thank the correspondents who, at my sugges¬ 
tion, contributed to the discussion of this subject. 
If the discussion has enabled those who may be 
judges to form a more exact idea of what a specimen 
Chrysanthemum should be, it has served its purpose. 
If judges were a superior class of gardeners to the 
ordinary gardener, then it would be impertinence on 
the part of anyone outside the learned and honourable 
body, to try and instil into their minds a more exact 
idea of what a specimen should be, but they are only 
ordinary gardeners who may be competitors to-day 
anl judges to-morrow, and whose minds on specimen 
plants may be rather indefinite. 
I agree in the main with Beetle's definition of a 
specimen ; it differs little from my own except 
mentioning a single stem 4 in. to 6 in. long. It 
would be necessary in framing a schedule to state 
something to that effect, to enable the judges to see 
that it was a single plant; but in this discussion 
when we say a plant, we must take each other's word 
that we mean a plant. The specimen shown in The 
Gardening World, p. 425, was not far off what a 
specimen should be, but the stakes were placed too 
horizontally, which threw the flowers too far apart, 
which W. B. G. well noted (p. 438). W. B. G. 
mentioned plants which were exhibited with three 
flowers each, and took the prize from larger 
plants. There is scarcely a variety as yet but would 
be too tall for its diameter with three flowers to the 
plant; and if it was trained down, the diameter of 
foliage would be too large for the three flowers ; and if 
it was cut down or struck late, to dwarf it, the quality 
of the flowers would suffer. But if we had a few 
varieties that grew about 18 in. high and would pro¬ 
duce three flowers about 6 in. in diameter, which 
would give the plant a diameter, when staked, about 
15 in, and well-grown in every way, a big plant could 
not beat it with mere size ; but we have not varieties 
dwarf enough for that yet. 
Growers whose ideal in growing specimens was to 
imitate the towering Poplar, or the spreading Oak, 
may have got their ideal modified by this discussion. 
Although the sturdy stem of the oak and its strong 
spreading branches are suggestive of strength and 
majesty, and the towering head of the Poplar invites 
us to still higher aspirations, these are not the 
attractions of the Chrysanthemum; but a beautiful 
combination of well-developed flowers and healthy 
foliage in a symmetrical but natural form are the 
attractions of a specimen Chrysanthemum.— 'Mum. 
-•*—- 
ORCHID NOTES & GLEANINGS. 
By The Editor. 
Cymbidium eburneum.—-This noble species has 
been in season for some time past, and year by year 
is finding fresh admirers. John W. Potter, Esq., 
Sligachan, Park Hill Road, Croydon, has got 
together the nucleus of a good collection, containing 
many fine things. At present a specimen of Cym¬ 
bidium eburneum is carrying nineteen large and 
deliciously scented flowers. In their earlier stages 
at least, they are much more tinted with pink than 
usual, the colouring being most conspicuous on the 
back of the sepals, and the outer face of the tube of 
the lip. The column is pink all over and mottled 
with purple on the face. The lip is without spots, 
though the pale yellow disc, and golden-yellow or 
orange crest, are as well defined as usual. The type 
is described as having flowers 3 in. in diameter, but 
in this instance they measure from 5 in. to 5J in. 
from tip to tip of the lateral sepals. 
Orchids from Redlands. — Last week we 
received a box of Dendrobium flowers chiefly, from 
Mr. Geo. Russell, The Gardens, Redlands, 
Kelvinside, Glasgow. The blooms of Dendrobium 
wardianum were in fine form and highly coloured, 
but he sent them for contrast with a variety which 
he suspected to be D. w. candidum, and in this he is 
right. The sepals and petals of the latter were snowy 
white. The lip was also white with exception of the 
customary orange-yellow disc and two maroon- 
crimson blotches at the base. The blotches are 
larger than in some forms which often pass for 
D. w. candidum, so that the variety is really a good 
one. A delicately pretty variety of D. findlayanum 
accompanied the rest. It had sepals of the palest 
lilac, and white petals tipped with a rosy blotch. 
The long pedicels were also of a much paler lilac 
than usual. Oncidium maculatum having brown 
sepals and petals, barred with yellow, and a creamy 
lip, was also amongst the rest. This species 
continues to find its way into collections, imported 
probably with something else. It is variable to some 
extent in colour, judging from the various flowers 
and plants we have seen. Two plants of the rare 
Dendrobium brjmerianum harveyanum have turned 
up in the Redlands collection. 
-- 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The following subjects were granted awards by the 
Royal Horticultural Society on the 23rd ult. 
Orchid Committee. 
Odontoglossum crispum Luciani, Nov. vcly .— 
There is no question that this took the eye of every¬ 
one who noticed it and had any knowledge of Orchids 
whatever. The plant is yet small, recently imported, 
flowering on the first growth, and bearing one flower 
only. The sepals are very broad, elliptic, and white, 
with a few large, brownish-purple blotches. The 
petals are broadly triangular, overlapping, jagged at 
the edges and similar iD colour to the sepals. The 
lip has one to three blotches in front of the crest, and 
completes the outline of a very round flower. It is 
a magnificient addition to the species and comes we’l 
within the first twelve varieties in cultivation. First- 
class certificate. Messrs. Linden, L’Horticulture 
Internationale, Brussels. 
Dendrobium nobile Hutchinson’s var, Nov. 
var .—The flowers of this handsome variety are of 
great size, with an unusually broad lip. The sepals 
are of a pale rosy-pink, and the broadly-oblong petals 
white, with a purple tip. The huge lip is as large as 
three of the more ordinary forms of the species, and 
white with a large maroon-crimson blotch, and a 
pale purple tip. It is a distinct addition to the most 
popular of all the Dendrobes. Award of Merit, 
Major Gen. Hutchinson (gr. Mr. A. Barnes) BraDk- 
son, Wood Road, Bournemouth. 
Odontoglossum ruckerianum ocellatum, Nov. 
var .—-The typical form of this Odontoglot has a rosy 
band on each side of the midrib, but it is a poor 
thing by comparison with this splendid variety. The 
flowers are of a rich rose and the sepals and petals 
are thickly spotted with rich crimson, like small eyes 
as expressed by the name ocellatum. The lip is 
creamy with a crimson blotch in front of the crest. A 
grand piece bearing a panicle 2% ft. in length was ex¬ 
hibited by W. Thompson, Esqr. (gr. Mr. W. 
Stevens), Walton Grange, Stone, Staffs. Award of 
Merit. 
Angraecum mooreanum. —This may be described 
as one of the small gems of the genus, for it has small 
and pretty creamy pink or flesh-coloured flowers. 
The spur is slender, of a deep amber yellow, and 3m. 
to 4m. in length. Botanical Certificate. Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart, (grower Mr. W. H. White), Burford 
Lodge, Dorking. 
Epidendrum varicosum. —The flowers of this 
species are small and peculiarly interestiog. The 
glossy sepals and petals are of a rich olive brown. 
The creamy lip is warted on the disk as the specific 
name is meant to imply. The flowers are borne on a 
slender, erect raceme. Botanical Certificate. Well¬ 
bore Ellis, Esqr. (gr. Mr. S. Barrell), Hazelbourne 
Dorking. 
Floral Committee. 
Tulipa Kaufmanniana. — This new species has 
flowers of large size, and a distinctness possessed by 
few, if any, of the recent introductions. The segments 
are oblong of great length and creamy at first but at 
length becoming almost white on the upper half, 
while the lower portion is of a shining golden-yellow. 
The three outer segments have a purple-red band 
along the middle of the back on the upper two-thirds 
of their length, and nearly covering their whole 
width. First-class Certificate. Messrs. Barr & Sons, 
King Street, Covent Garden, and Messrs. R. Wallace 
& Co., Kilnside Nursery, Colchester. 
Amaryllis Pera. —The flowers of this new variety 
are of large size, with regular, rounded outline, and 
broad, overlapping segments of a bright scarlet. The 
six white bands forming the star are three-fourths as 
long as the segments, and there are several other 
white markings. The quality of the variety generally 
is first-class. Award of Merit. Messrs. J. Veitch & 
Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. 
Disporum leschenaultianum variegatum.— For 
many years we have known the green form of this 
Liliaceous plant, which is allied toTricyrtis, a hardy 
border subject. The plant under notice is nearly 
hardy, but will require the shelter of a green-house 
to see it in its best form at least. The stems are 
i2in. to 15m. high, freely furnished with lanceolate 
leaves, and the variety under notice has silvery- 
white edges, and sometimes almost wholly silvery- 
white leaves, with green linesrunningupthem. Award 
of Merit. A well grown plant, like that shown by 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd., is hightly ornamental. 
Clivia Charles Vermeire.— The flowers of this 
new Continental variety mark a distinct advance. 
The short and widely-bell-shaped flowers are of large 
size, with broad, overlapping segments of a bright 
orange-scarlet, with a yellow throat, the colours being 
well defined and clear, without any admixture of 
white at the base. Award of Merit. J. T. Bennett 
Poe, Esqr. (gr. Mr. J. Downes), Holmwood, Gbes- 
hunt. 
