the Gardening world . 
319 
April 16, 1904. 
Notes on the Illustrations in this Issue. 
Dendrobium Sibyl. 
Amongst the numerous species and hybrids of Dendrobium 
that come into blossom during March is that above mentioned. 
It possesses a considerable amount of distinctness! peculiarly 
its own, although we might expect even more, seeing that D. 
•bigibbum was the seed parent. The pollen parent, however, 
was L. linawianum, and that seems to have exercised a con¬ 
siderable leffect in determining the shape and character of the 
flower. The flowers are of moderate size*, as one would expect, 
but they are produced in great profusion, which mates the 
hybrid well worthy of a place in any representative collection. 
The sepals and petals are of a rich purple-rose 
in the upper half, fading to: white at the base. 
The lip also is tipped with purple, below which 
there is a white zone surrounding the yellow 
throat. On each side of the throat is an orange 
eye-like blotch, which gives this particular 
hybrid its distinctive features. These two 
blotches it derives from D. linawianum, in which 
they are purple. The stems take after the 
character of the last-namied parent, and may be 
said to closely resemble D. nobile in habit. This 
also applies to the plant generally, which may 
be described as belonging to the Eudendrobium 
section of the genus. 
D. linawianum seems to have been popular 
with a number of raisers, for it lias been used as 
a pollen parent in the: raising of a considerable 
number of hybrids that enjoy a varying popu¬ 
larity in collections, and some of them are cer¬ 
tainly pretty, and reckoned -worthy of cultiva¬ 
tion. The number of hybrids makes the work 
more confusing for botanists, unless they en¬ 
tirely ignore them, but from a garden point of 
view they certainly possess a considerable 
amount of value, and seem to be much more 
amenable to cultivation than some of the wild 
species which have: given rise to them. This 
raises the question once more whether hybrid 
Orchids will noti be more common, in the future 
than at present. Their easy cultivation will 
■enable them to be grown with much less diffi¬ 
culty than the wild types, while the latter tend 
to become scarcer in a wild state, owing to their 
habitats being so very much harried by colleo 
( tors. The constitution of the hybrids seems 
more elastic, while the production of a mass of 
flowers continues year after year to increase with 
the size of the plant. 
Our illustration of this beautiful hybrid was 
prepared from a photograph taken in the 
gardens of N. C. Cookson, Esq., Oakwood, 
Wylam-on-Tyne, where Mr. Chapman manages 
his splendid collection of Orchids SO' successfully. 
Crocus chrysanthus albidus. 
The typical form of the above—namely, C. chrysanthus, is 
an early spring flowering species, which has not been taken up 
by the number of cultivators which its beauty would warrant. 
The flowers are relatively small compared with those of C. 
vernus, but they eomie into bloom somewhat earlier, and make 
up by their profusion of blossom for the lack of size possessed 
by the old-fashioned garden Crocus. The type form has rich 
orange-yellow flowers. There are several varieties of it in 
cultivation, including C. c. fusco-tinctus, in which the back of 
the segments are tinted with brown. Another variety, named 
C. c. fusco-lineatus, has the outer segments more or less heavily 
lined with brownish-purple on the back. These distinctions 
are not only evident to the botanist, but. to the cultivator or 
lover of his garden, and serve to give variety. 
We are now in a> position to illustrate the most distinct 
variety of this species—namely, C. c. albidus. The flowers 
are best seen under the influence of sunshine, when the perianth 
opens', and shows the various points about the flower.. When 
fully expanded they have a starry appearance with rather 
Jointed white segment®, giving place to yellow at the base, the 
latter colour forming a, distinct yellow zone, thus giving charac¬ 
ter to the flower. If the day happens to be cloudy the flowers 
would remain close and appear chiefly white. A white variety 
is rather uncommon where the type happens to* be yellow, a® 
yellow is usually a colour that is very difficult to displace or 
get rid of. Even in this case, howevter, it has remained at 
the base of the flower’, where the colour in a Crocus seems to' be 
more decidedly fixed and constant in cultivation than, thie rest 
of the flower. 
Our illustration was prepared from a photograph taken in 
the nursery of Messrs. Bari’ and Sons, at their Ditton Hill 
Nurseries, Surrey, on March 18th last. 
The Saxifraga. 
Too much care can scarcely be lavished on this beautiful 
genus. The plants are very interesting at this season, when 
some of the best species, and varieties are just coming into 
flower. 
Saxifraga burseriana major is one of the earliest. It de¬ 
lights in a south-east exposure in rich loam, grit and sand, in 
equal proportions; care should be taken to cover it in, winter 
with a bellglass, or some other material to keep it dry* as it is 
rather bad for damping. Saxifraga Boydii is one of the very 
best, yellow varieties. It isi reputed difficult to grow, but such 
is not my experience of it, having grown it successfully in a 
Dendrobium Sibyl at Oakwood, 
