May  31,  1900; 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
453 
Lselia  purpurata  Littleiana. 
’The  varieties  of  the  handsome  Laelia  purpurata  that  are  considered 
worthy  of  a  special  vaiietal  name  are  yearly  becoming;  more  numerous, 
and  bearing  in  mind  the  beauty  and  utility  of  this  Orchid  no  one  can 
regret  the  fact.  At  the  Temple  Show  last  week  examples  of  Laelia 
purpurata  were  not,  perhaps,  so  numerous  as  is  generally  the  case  af 
this  gathering,  owing,  of  course,  to  the  lateness  of  the  season,  but 
those  staged  were  of  high  ave'^age  ( xcellence.  The  plant  exhibited  by 
Henry  Little,  Esq.,  Baronshalt,  Twickenham,  was  in  perfect  condition, 
and  the  flower  was  so  meritorious  that  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  recommended  a  first-class  certificate.  The 
form  of  one  of  the  flowers  is  admirably  depicted  in  the  illustration 
(fig.  122,  page  455).  The  sepals  and  petals  are  pure  white,  as  is  the 
lip,  save  for  the  crimson  markings  shown  and  the  yellow  crimson 
veined  throat.  L.  purpurata  Littleiana  must  be  accorded  rank  amongst 
the  finest  Orchids  that  have  been  exhibited  in  London  this  year, 
Odoutoglossam  Souvenir  de  Victor  Hye-Lebrun. 
Amongst  the  raanv  superb  Orchids  that  were  exhibited  at  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  great  Temple  Show  were  several  from 
Belgian  growers  ;  these  were  in  the  main  of  fine  quality.  Of  them  all, 
however,  Odontoglossum  Souvenir  de  Victor  Hve-Lebrun  (fig.  121) 
was  the  most  excellent  from  the  Continent,  and  one  of  the  best  in  the 
whole  exhibition.  This  hybrid  resulted  from  a  cross  between 
0.  Ilarryauum  and  0.  luteo-purpureurn,  and  distinct  evidences  of 
both  parents  ate  percep  ible  in  the  flowers.  The  sepals  and  petals  are 
almost  wholly  brown,  the  yellowish  green  only  showing  occasionally. 
The  front  portion  of  the  magnificent  lip  is  pure  white,  and  the  basal 
part  crimson.  The  Orchid  Committee  showed  its  nppreciation  of  the 
flower  by  recommending  a  first-class  certificate.  This  Od  mtoglossum 
was  exhibited  by  Mons,  Jules  Ilye-Leysen,  and  though  it  was  packed 
away  in  an  obscure  corner  of  a  fiarticularly  ugly  case,  it  created  almost 
if  not  quite  as  mu  h  interest  as  any  other  individual  Orchid  in  the 
entire  show.  If  all  the  Orchids  sent  by  our  Belgian  neighbours 
equalled  this  they  would  be  particularly  welcome. 
Oncidinm  monachicum. 
This  plant  belongs  to  the  same  set  as  0.  serratum,  which  species 
itresem  les  in  habit.  The  spikes  are  long  and  many-fl  wered,  the 
individual  blossoms  lasting  well  when  cut.  But  the  spikes  should 
not  be  cut  entire,  as  they  do  not  absorb  the  water  rajiidiy  enough  to 
keep  the  large  number  of  flowers  going.  Thesepds  and  petals  are 
deep  brown  with  a  bright  yellow  (rilled  margin.  Keep  the  plants  in 
a  cool  house,  and  let  the  pots  be  rather  on  the  large  side  but  well 
drained.  A  moist  atmosjdiere  is  at  all  times  essential. 
Dendrobium  suavissimum. 
Usually  considered  a  variety  of  D.  chrysotoxum,  this  plant 
is  quite  distinct,  and  a  very  handsome  Orchid  it  i.s.  The  golden 
yellow  blossoms  occur  on  loose  racemes  from  the  upiicr  part  of  the 
stems  and  last  a  couple  of  weeks  in  good  order.  It  is  a  vigorous 
grower  and  a  rapid  one  when  it  is  at  it,  for  the  growing  sea>on  often 
extends  over  a  couple  of  months  only.  Still  it  will  not  do  to  dry  the 
plants  ove’’  the  rest  of  the  year,  as  this  will  lead  to  shrivelled  bulbs 
and  a  weak  state  generally.  A  fairly  regular  intermediate  temperature 
suits  it  best. 
Dendrobium  rhodopterygium. 
A  most  ungainly-habiied  species,  this  Dendrobium  is  very  pretty 
when  in  flower.  It  is  very  free  flowering  too,  for  the  stems  are 
almost  completely  hidden  by  the  warm  rose  purple  blossoms  just  now. 
In  the  lip  tnere  is  usuillv  a  deepcrunson  purple  stain  that  brightens  up 
the  flower  c  msiderably.  It  is  a  native  of  British  Burmih,  and  likes 
ample  heat  during  the  growing  season.  Being  strictly  deciduous  a 
long  season  of  dry  rest  is  necc.^sary  after  the  leaves  have  fallen,  and 
■the  stout  erect  stems  .seldom  suffer  from  this  protracted  drying. 
That  is  always  sujiposing  they  were  well  ripened  in  the  previous 
autumn,  for  to  get  good  flowers  from  an  unrip med  stem  is  as  unlikely 
as  getting  goo  I  fruit  fioin  an  unripened  Vine.  It  does  not  relish  a 
lot  of  Compost  or  room  in  the  pots  or  ba  kets,  and  it  is  quite  a  mistake 
to  pot  the  plants  on  when  new  material  is  given.  Rather  let  the 
greater  part  of  the  peat  and  moss  be  removed,  and  the  plants  returned 
to  pots  of  sim  lar  or  only  very  slightly  larger  size.  During  the 
flowering  sea-sou  the  plants  miy  be  placed  in  a  drier  and  ^^cooler 
atmosphere  to  conserve  the  blossoms. 
Odontoglossum  citrosmum. 
The  true  beauty  of  this  fine  Orchid  is  never  seen  at  large  show,^, 
for  it  is  seldom  properly  staged,  the  pendent  spikes  making  it  very 
difficult  to  pack  or  to  show.  Tied  upright  the  plant  loses  much  of 
its  beauty,  yet  this  is  how  it  is  exhibited  in  many  cases.  But  as  a 
plant  for  house  decoration  there  is  nothing  much  prettier  in  the  whole 
Orchid  family.  The  blossoms  vary  a  good  deal  in  colour,  but  are  all 
sweetly  scented,  and  although  they  last  for  a  week  or  two  in  present¬ 
able  condition,  yet  they  are  most  beautiful  in  the  first  lew  days. 
The  culture  of  0.  citrosmum  presents  a  special  difficulty.  It  is 
perfectly  at  home  in  any  fairly  moist  house  kept  at  an  intermediate 
temperature,  not  unduly  shaded  on  the  one  hand,  but  sufficiently  so 
to  prevent  injury  to  the  foliage.  Well  r  lOted  plants  require  abundant 
moisture  supplies,  and  especially  when  growing  freely  in  summer. 
Fig.  121. — Odontoglossum  Souvenir  de  Victor  Hye-Lebrun. 
When  the  growths  have  fully  matured  and  ripened  it  is  best  to  lessen 
the  root  moisture  by  degrees,  unt  1  in  win  er  the  plants  are  kept  quite 
d  y  •,  so  dry,  in  fact,  that  the  pseudo-bulbs  often  shrivel  to  half  their 
proper  size. 
Very  early  in  the  new  year  small  growing  shoots  will  appear  at 
the  base  of  the  pseudo-bulb,  but  this  mu-t  not  be  taken  as  a  sign  that 
moisture  is  again  required.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  if  water  is  suppled 
too  quickly  many  of  the  plants  will  refuse  to  flower,  but  in  a  few 
weeks  the  tip  of  a  flower  sjake  can  be  seen  in  the  point  of  the  growth, 
and  then  water  in  plenty  may  be  given  to  replenish  the  wasted  bulbs, 
and  to  cause  them  to  push  th^^  flower  spike  strongly.  The  way  these 
grow  is  very  remarkable,  a  few  days  after  the  first  watering  seeing  an 
immense  difference  in  their  length. 
Later,  when  the  flowers  are  almost  fully  developed  th°re  is  a  risk 
of  spotting  these  unless  water  is  very  carefully  given.  A  thorough 
soaking  in  a  pail  or  tank  just  before  the  flowers  commence  to  unfold, 
and  holding  up  the  spikes  while  doing  so,  will  carry  them  through  the 
flowering  period,  and  is  better  than  risking  watering  from  a  pot. 
Newly  imported  plants  of  this  species  are  very  easily  and  qu’ckly 
established,  flowering  often  on  the  imported  bulb,  and  raj  idly  making 
choice  specimens.  They  should  be  potted  first  of  all  in  clean  crocks, 
afterwards  given  peat  and  moss  in  the  usual  way. — H.  R.  R. 
