December  7,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
503 
showy  and  sweetly  scented.  The  latter  occur  on  semi-pendulous 
racemes,  and  on  plants  of  large  size  these  are  nearly  always  present ; 
as  fast  as  one  set  is  over  another  appears.  Under  cultivation  G.  atro- 
purpurea  thrives  best  in  the  cool  end  of  the  Cattleya  house,  with  as 
much  sun  as  possible  without  actually  injuring  the  foliage. 
Abundance  of  water  should  also  be  given,  and  under  the  circumstances 
the  light  green  furrowed  pseudo-bulbs  swell  up  to  their  full  size,  and 
the  roots  push  up  well  out  horizontally  in  the  manner  characteristic 
of  them,  and  a  healthy  sign.  Equal  parts  of  good  peat  and  moss, 
with  a  little  loam  for  the  strongest  plants,  suit  it  well  for  compost, 
and  the  aspect  of  the  spikes  fits  it  well  for  basket  eulture. — H.  R.  R. 
TECOMA  (BIGNONIA)  GRANDIFLORA. 
What  recollections  some  of  the  older  plants  must  possess  to 
gardeners  of  an  earlier  generation,  and  one  cropping  up  occasionally 
and  figuring  with  present  day  varieties  is  sufficient  to  attract  even 
now.  Such  a  one  is  to  be  found  in  the  above  splendid  plant,  known 
more  familiarly  by  its  old  title  of  “Bignonia”  granditlora.  When 
exhibiting  it  as  a  single  greenhouse  plant  some  time  ago  I  was  more 
than  astonished  to  find  it  nearly  almost  forgotten,  one  of  the  judges 
Pig.  89.— Maxillaria  Sanderiana, 
Maxillarias. 
I  was  pleased  to  see  one  of  your  Orchid  correspondentsjnoticing 
these  Orchids  which,  as  he  says,  are  very  much  neglected.  The  two 
species  he  names  are  useful  and  attractive,  and  there  is  quite  a 
number  of  others  that  are  equally  unknown  in  the  generality  of 
collections  and  equally  pretty.  The  lovely  M.  Sanderiana  (fig.  89) 
hardly  comes  under  this  category,  perhaps,  but  it  even  is  not  as 
much  grown  as  it  ought  to  be.  Then  there  is  the  charming  little 
M.  tenuifolia,  a  plant  that  will  not  appeal  to  those  who  delight  in 
showy  kinds,  but  it  has  much  beauty  all  the  same,  the  bright 
crimson  and  gold  flowers  showing  up  effectively  against  the  narrow 
deep  green  foliage. 
The  beautiful  M.  grandiflora,  again,  has  few  compeers  among  cool 
Orchids,  yet  it  is  looked  down  upon  and  seldom  seen  in  good  Orchid 
collections.  The  scent  of  this  is  delightful,  and  the  ivory  white 
blossoms  with  amethyst  purple  markings  on  the  lip  are 
charming  in  the  extreme.  Look  at  the  old  M.  picta  again, 
a  plant  that  most  orchidists  despise.  Familiarity,  perhaps, 
made  it  appear  a  little  contemptible  to  some  of  the  older 
growers  of  Orchids  in  this  country,  but  I  am  positive  that 
many  nowadays  are  not  familiar  enough  with  it  and  that 
its  free  flowering  nature  would  recommend  it  to 
them.  These  are  only  a  few  of  those  worthy  of  growth, 
and  one  might  easily  mention  many  others  did  space 
permit. 
All  are  of  the  easiest  culture,  and  for  that  reason  are 
neglected;  what  they  need  is  a  cool  and  very  moist  house 
with  enough  moisture  at  the  roots  while  growing.  Thrips — 
their  worst  insect  enemy — are  very  uncomfortable  in  moist 
quarters,  a  d  if  these  are  kept  at  bay  success  is  assured, 
for  all  other  cultural  details  are  very  simple.  Good  peat 
and  moss  in  equal  proportions  is  the  best  compost  for  small 
plants,  but  when  they  get  larger  use  a  little  loam.  The 
drainage  must  always  be  perfect  and  the  compost  fairly 
rough  but  thin. 
Habenarias. 
The  stove  species  of  Habenaria  are  now  nearly  or  quite 
over,  and  those  who  grow  them  are  apt  to  turn  the  pots  on 
one  side,  and  forget  all  about  them  for  a  time.  This  is  one 
of  the  worst  mistakes  that  can  be  made  in  their  culture,  for 
although  the  foliage  and  flowers  are  gone,  the  roots  are  not 
dead,  and  they  still  require  a  little  sustenance.  They  are  the 
nearest  relatives  among  exotic  species  to  our  native  Ladies’ 
Tress  Orchids,  and  these,  of  course,  grow  in  cool  moist 
woods,  so  are  naturally  kept  in  a  moist  state  all  the 
winter. 
Without  going  so  far  as  to  advise  this,  I  may  say 
that  the  opposite  plan  of  drying  them  entirely  is  equally 
wrong.  What  they  like  is  to  be  potted  in  a  very  open 
description  of  compost,  so  that  the  roots  are  surrounded 
with  lumps  of  charcoal  and  crocks,  these  being  given  a  little 
water  occasionally  throughout  the  winter,  and  kept  in  a  moist 
atmosphere.  They  thrive  best  in  a  hot  moist  house  while  growing, 
but  the  kinds  with  variegated  foliage  ought  not  to  be  syringed. 
There  at  e  many  very  beautiful  plants  in  the  genus,  including  H.  carnea. 
a  soft  flesh-coloured  flower  ;  H.  militaris ;  and  the  beautiful  little 
H.  rhodoc'nilon,  perhaps  the  brightest  coloured  Orchid  in  cultivation. 
Oncidium  pr^stextum. 
This  species  has  been  known  in  cultivation  since  1873,  and  is  one  of 
the  best  of  the  Brazilian  kinds.  From  the  oval  pseudo-bulbs  the  spikes 
rise  to  a  height  of  about  a  yard  in  strong  plants,  and  these  bear  a  large 
number  of  pale  yellow  blossoms,  spotted  and  marked  with  a  chestnut 
brown.  Like  other  species  from  that  neighbourhood,  0.  praetextum 
often  grows  well  for  a  time  after  being  imported,  and  then  goes  back, 
but  occasionally  one  meets  with  good  plants  that  have  been  cultivated 
for  years.  The  most  likely  place  for  it  to  succeed  is  a  light  sunny  part 
of  the  Cattleya  house,  the  plants  being  exposed  to  as  much  sun  as  they 
will  stand  without  scalding.  Ample  moisture  supplies  are  needed 
while  growing  and  flowering,  much  less  sufficing  afterwards. 
Goxgora  atro- purpurea. 
This  canuot  be  called  a  popular  Orchid,  though  it  possesses  in  a 
marked  degree  those  attributes  that  bid  for  populaiity.  It  is  easily 
grown,  cheap,  and  very  free  flowering ;  the  blossoms,  moreover,  are 
remarking  that  he  had  not  seen  it  shown  for  more  than  thirty  years. 
The  public,  too,  were  anxious  to  make  inquiries  as  to  its  requirements, 
and  I  came  away  from  the  show  more  than  satisfied.  Yet  this  plant 
was  introduced  from  China  nearly  a  century  ago. 
The  plant  referred  to  was  started  in  an  intermediate  temperature, 
the  compost  used  for  potting  being  best  fibrous  loam  two  parts,  peat 
one  part,  with  a  little  leaf  mould  and  coarse  silver  sand.  As  growth 
advanced  and  days  began  to  lengthen  the  plant  was  removed  to  a 
greenhouse  temperature,  and  tied  loosely  round  some  neatly  painted 
sticks.  Shortly  afterwards  the  buds,  which  are  produced  from  the 
terminal  shoots,  were  discernible,  quickly  developing,  and  opening 
tubular  flowers  of  a  rich  orange-.-carlet,  with  slight  yellow  veins,  quite 
equal  to  an  Allamanda.  On  dull  days,  and  if  grown  too  shaded,  I 
soon  found  out  that  the  buds  began  to  drop,  but  a  moderately  sunny 
part  of  the  greenhouse  soon  put  this  right.  Somewhat  awkward  to 
carry  to  the  place  of  exhibition,  it  will  on  arrival  form  a  useful 
addition,  and  most  certainly  carry  weight  in  a  collection  of  greenhouse 
plants. 
If  planted  out  the  root  run  should  be  limited ;  this  favours  a 
steady  and  not  too  luxuriant  growth.  After  going  out  of  flower 
plants  in  pots  may  be  stood  in  a  sunny  position  outdoors  until  the  end 
of  summer  to  consolidate  and  ripen  the  wood,  and  lay  the  foundation 
for  free  flowering  the  following  season.  If  planted  indoors  give 
abundance  of  air  after  flowering,  being  careful  to  avoid  draughts  when 
starting  into  growth  the  following  season. — R.  P.  R. 
