January  4,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
15 
L^lio-Cattleya  Dominiana. 
Years  ago,  before  the  parentage  of  this  charming  hybrid  had  been 
really  proved,  it  was  recognised  as  one  of  the  finest  Orchids  in 
cultivation  ;  and  latterly,  when  more  care  was  taken  in  keeping  records, 
and  in  choosing  good  varieties  of  the  separate  species  as  parent,  the 
results  were  still  more  satisfactory.  Quite  recently  I  saw  a  very 
pretty  form  of  it,  and  even  row,  with  the  immense  number  of  fine 
hybrids,  we  have  few  to  surpass  it.  Its  relation  to  that  superb 
Lgelia,  L.  purpurata,  is  shown  in  its  beautiful  colouring,  while  its 
variability  is  equally  and  obviously  due  to  the  same  relationship. 
L.elia  albida  solphurea. 
This  is  a  very  attractive  variety  of  a  choice  and  beautiful  little 
Laelia.  By  no  means  rare  in  the  usual  acceptance  of  the  term  it  will 
in  all  probability  be  rarer  as  time  goes  on,  many  hundreds  of  plants 
being  frequently  imported,  only  to  flower  respectably  for  a  time  and 
then  to  rapidly  pass  out  of  condition  and  become  of  no  value.  If 
any  reader  of  i\xe  Journal  of  Horticulture  has  been  successful  with 
this  variety  or  the  type  he  would  be  doing  a  service  in  recording  his 
methods.  By  successful  I  mean  over  a  number  of  years,  not  less 
than  six  or  seven  at  the  least. 
C(ELIA  MACROSTACHYA. 
Not  many  species  are  included  in  the  genus  to  which  this  pretty 
Orchid  belongs,  and  it  is  perhaps  the  best  known  of  all.  From  a 
roundish  leafy  pseudo-bulb  it  throws  up  an  erect  spike  of  silvery  rose 
blossom®,  each  with  its  attendant  white  bract,  and  though  the 
individual  flowers  are  small  they  are  charming  in  the  aggregate. 
A  good  place  for  it  is  the  coolest  part  of  the  Cattleya  house,  or  where 
Lselias  of  the  anceps  type  thrive.  It  likes  a  moderately  good  compost, 
consisting  of  peat  and  moss,  with  a  little  loam  for  strong  plants. 
The  pots  must  be  well  drained,  as  during  the  time  growth  is 
active  an  abundant  supply  of  moisture  must  be  allowed.  After  this  a 
short  and  sharp  dry  rest  is  necessary,  or  no  flowers  will  be  produced. 
1  have  known  plants  to  grow  for  eight  or  nine  years  without  show¬ 
ing  a  single  flower  spike.  I  rest  it  in  quite  a  cool  house — much 
cooler,  indeed,  than  the  majority  of  Orchids  care  for — and  find  that  a 
somewhat  rapid  change  to  a  warmer  house  usually  induces  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  abundance  of  spikes.  The  flowers  are  produced  at 
various  seasons,  but  mostly  in  autumn  and  early  winter.  It  is  not 
often  impoited,  though  said  to  be  common  in  various  parts  of  Mexico, 
whence  it  was  sent  to  Chiswick  in  1841. 
Cymbidium  giganteum. 
This  is  a  useful  winter-flowering  species  when  really  well  estab¬ 
lished,  but  often  for  the  first  few  years  in  this  country  it  is  rather  shy. 
It  is  a  capital  grower,  in  habit  similar  to  0.  Lowianum,  but  the  flowers 
are  quite  distinct.  Fortunately,  too,  for  the  health  of  the  plants,  the 
latter  do  not  last  as  long  as  those  of  the  better  known  kind.  These, 
when  allowed  to  remain,  as  they  will  do  for  months  at  a  stietch,  are  a 
great  strain  upon  the  resources  of  even  the  strongest  plants,  and  will 
often  kill  weaker  specimens  outright  if  the  practice  of  leaving  the 
flower  is  persisted  in. 
With  C.  giganteum  the  flov;ers,  though  very  lasting,  do  not 
remain  fresh  quite  so  long,  and  therefore  strong  plants  are  uninjured, 
even  if  allow^ed  to  carry  the  blossoms  until  they  fade.  Both  need 
exactly  the  same  treatment,  and  are  attacked  by  the  same  insects. 
They  like  a  cool  moist  house,  and  it  does  not  matter  whether  this  is 
devoted  entirely  to  Orchids  or  not.  It  often  does  well  in  a  cool  fernery, 
and  I  have  a  very  large  specimen  now  in  flower  in  such  a  house.  Good 
fibrous  loam,  peat,  and  chopped  sphagnum  make  a  capital  compost  for 
it,  and  the  pots  should  be  large  and  well  drained.  0.  giganteum  is  a 
native  of  the  Himalayas  being  found  at  considerable  elevation. 
Lailia  autumnalis. 
Mr.  J.  Barker  has  a  very  interesting  note  on  this  species,  and  I 
quite  agree  wfith  him  as  to  the  necessity  for  plenty  of  fresh  air  and  a 
buoyant  atmosphere.  Although  at  times  we  meet  with  plants  doing 
well  in  more  heat  and  moisture,  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  growth 
can  hardly  be  too  well  consolidated  and  hardened  as  it  is  grown,  the 
plants  then  being  able  to  withstand  any  slight  check — unavoidable  in 
some  cases — that  may  happen. 
I  also  agree  that  if  it  were  possible  to  keep  the  temperature  at  the 
figure  your  correspondent  names  it  would  be  an  advantage,  but  this 
species  and  other’  Mexican  Lselias  require  ample  light,  as  he  points 
out ;  and  if  this  is  allowed,  it  is  quite  impossible  to  keep  the 
temperature  down  to  65°  on  a  hot  summer  day.  It  may  be  managed 
by  very  heavy  shading  and  keeping  the  house  close,  but  not^otber__ 
wise;  and  I  have  on  many  occasions  proved  that  sun  heat,  when 
ample  air  is  allowed,  does  not  harm  these  plants  in  the  least.  It  is 
only  when  accompanied  with  considerable  moisture  and  with  insufficient 
ventilation  that  any  harm  accrues.  I  only  mention  this  point  to 
prevent  any  amateur  readers  attempting  to  keep  the  temperature 
down  by  the  means  indicated,  as  it  does  far  more  harm  than  good. 
— H.  R.  R. 
L.elia  Gouldiana. 
Highly  coloured  flowers  are  doubly  appreciated  at  this  dull  season 
of  the  year,  and  a  specimen  of  L.  Gouldiana  is  an  object  of  beauty, 
of  which  the  cultivator  can  well  feel  proud.  The  plant  will  succeed 
under  the  same  conditions  as  L.  autumnalis,  from  which  it  is  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  a  natural  hybrid.  When  in  flower  great  care  should  be 
taken  that  no  water  is  allowed  to  touch  the  flower,  or  decay 
will  set  in.  I  find  no  difficulty  in  cultivating  this  species  with  the 
above-mentioned  one,  only  not  being  such  a  vigorous  grower  much 
less  water  will  answer  its  requirements.  The  flowers  are  useful  where 
buttonholes  are  a  requirement,  not  being  so  large  as  L,  autumnalis. 
The  flowers,  like  those  of  the  best  forms  of  that  variety,  are  of  a 
deep  rosy  purple  colour. 
Sopheo-Cattleya  Calypso. 
True  bigeneric  hybrids  are,  even  at  the  present  time,  scarce,  and 
the  above  mentioned  is  described  by  the  late  Professor  Reichenbach  as 
a  gem,  and  is  an  acquisition  to  anyone  fortunate  enough  to  secure  it. 
The  plant  is  perhaps  best  described  as  a  miniature  Loddigesi,  with 
pseudo- bulbs  about  4  inches  hiQi ;  the  flowers  (fig.  3)  are  about  3  inches 
Fig.  3. — Sopheo-Cattleya  Calypso. 
in  diameter,  petals  broader  than  the  sepals,  of  bright  rose  colour  toned 
with  scarlet,  which  has  a  wonderful  effect  on  the  whole  flower.  The 
lip  is  distinctly  three-lobed,  the  side  lobes  roundish,  convolute  over 
the  column,  slightly  reflexed  towards  the  apex,  pale  lilac  externally, 
and  on  the  inner  side  creamy  white  bordered  with  amethyst  purple  at 
the  anterior  margin  ;  middle  lobe  broadly  oval,  undulate  at  the 
margin,  crimson  purple ;  column  white,  stained  with  purple  at  the 
apex. 
This  plant  was  raised  by  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  and  shown  by 
them  December  13tb,  1892,  when  it  received  a  F.c.c.  I  find  it 
succeeds  admirably  in  a  cool  intermediate  house,  under  the  same 
conditions  as  Lselia  prsestans  as  regards  compost,  but  great  care  must 
be  used  in  applying  water  while  the  young  growths  are  in  a  green 
state,  or  they  are  apt  to  turn  black  and  die.  The  parentage  of  this 
gem  is  Sophronitis  grandiflora  x  Cattleya  Loddigesi. 
Cypripedium  Euryades. 
Another  section  of  this  most  useful  family,  in  which  the  hybridist 
has  undoubtedly  improved  both  parents,  is  the  one  in  which  C.  Lee- 
anum  and  C.  Boxalli  comprise  the  parentage.  The  first  record  we 
have  of  this  cross  is  in  the  year  1892,  when  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons 
showed  a  plant  and  received  an  a.m.  for  a  plant  under  the  name  of 
C.  Hera;  again,  in  the  same  year,  the  Chelsea  firm  showed 
C.  Adrastus,  followed  by  C.  Euryades  in  1896.  It  is  to  be  expected 
from  such  a  cross,  and  one  parent  a  hybrid,  that  there  will  be  a  wide 
range  both  in  colour  and  size  in  thtf  progeny,  and  it  is  useless  to 
describe  one  or  the  other. — J.  Barker,  Bessie. 
{Dendrobium  spectabile. 
The  treatment  I  find  to  suit  this  New  Guinea  species  is  quite 
different  from  that  to  which  the  Indian  Dendrobiums  are  subjected.  My 
