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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  28,  1899. 
their  stove  and  greenhouse  flowers.  I  believe  that  “  groups,”  as  indicated, 
were  in  the  programme  of  the  Hull  Chrysanthemum  Society. — W.  G. 
[Not  only  Hull,  but  dozens  of  other  societies  invariably  provide 
classes,  generally  with  handsome  prizes,  for  groups  of  miscellaneous 
stove  and  greenhouse  foliage  and  flowering  plants  arrangedfor  effect.] 
LINUM  TRIGrYNUM. 
This  old  introduced  winter  flowering  cool  greenhouse  plant 
deserves  more  recognition  than  is  usually  accorded  it,  especially  where 
yellow  flowers  are  in  request.  It  is  a  great  favourite  with  Mr.  W.  B. 
Latham  at  the  Botanical  Gardens,  Edgbaston,  and  has  been 
extensively  cultivated  by  him  for  many  years  past.  Another  feature 
worthy  of  consideration  is  the  comparatively  small  trouble  connected 
with  its  cultivation.  In  further  reference  to  its  decorative  attributes  the 
writer  recently  met  a  lady  with  a  handful  of  its  sprays  with  a  similar 
complement  of  the  beautiful  Lasiandra  (Pleroma)  macrantha,  and 
was  much  struck  with  the  harmony  and  effect  produced  thereby. 
Regarding  its  cultivation,  probably  why  it  was  comparatively  little 
grown  in  former  times  was  owing  to  the  treating  it  more  as  a  stove 
plant,  and  thus  inducing  a  flimsy  habit.  The  flowers  are  naturally, 
under  any  conditions  of  temperature,  of  a  fugacious  character,  but 
are  quickly  replaced  by  the  multiplicity  of  successional  blooms. 
Fig.  97.— Dendrobium  spectabile. 
1  seful  plants  may  be  produced  from  seeds  the  first  year  if  sown  in 
spring,  but  the  more  popular  method  is  to  grow  it  from  cuttings  in 
the  spring,  Avhich  root  readily  under  the  same  treatment  as  that 
under  which  ordinary  softwooded  plants  are  propagated.  When 
rooted  they  should  be  potted,  and  grown  in  the  hotbed  for  a  time, 
and  pinched  back  as  they  grow  to  induce  a  bushy  habit,  also  giving  a 
shift  into  larger  pots  as  required. 
As  the  season  advances  remove  them  to  a  cooler  structure,  and 
finally  consign  them  to  a  cool  frame,  where  an  abundance  of  air  may 
be  secured.  As  the  plant  is  liable  to  be  infested  with  red  spider, 
moisture  at  the  root  must  not  be  neglected,  and  frequent  syringings  in 
warm  weather  serve  as  an  antidote  to  insects.  Occasional  applications 
of  liquid  manure  will  be  found  of  great  benefit.  A  compost  consisting 
of  turfy  loam,  leaf  mould,  or  Mushroom  bed  refuse,  and  a  little  sand 
to  secure  porosity,  will  afford  an  excellent  medium  for  its  successful 
culture.  I  have  grown  large  plants  in  the  conservatory  border, 
selecting  a  position  where  all  possible  light  and  air  were  at  command, 
and  where  the  plants  afforded  a  plentiful  supply  of  cut  flowers. 
It  is  many  years  since  I  saw  Linum  trigynum  grown  to  perfection 
at  Chatsworlh,  where  a  row  of  established  plants  on  each  side  of 
the  wide  central  walk  in  the  large  conservatory  in  the  month  of 
December  presented  a  picture  of  floral  beauty  not  readily  forgotten. — 
W.  Gardiner. 
Crassula  Saxifraga. — This  charming  little  South  African  plant 
is  excellent  for  growing  in  small  pots  or  pans  for  a  front  place  on  the 
greenhouse  stage.  It  is  of  neat,  compact  habit.  The  small  Geranium 
like  leaves  are  bright  green  and  glossy,  and  about  1  inch  across.  The 
flowers  are  white,  Buffused  with  pink,  and  borne  twelve  or  more  together 
in  an  umbel  surmounting  a  scape  6  inches  high.  By  planting  above 
the  rim  of  the  pot  among  bits  of  sandstone,  or  in  crevices  in  an  indoor 
rockery,  its  beauty  is  greatly  enhanced. — D. 
Dendrobium  spectabile. 
The  Drill  Hall  meeting  on  Tuesday,  December  18th,  was  one  of 
the  smallest  on  record,  and  opinions  were  freely  expressed  that  a 
second  December  gathering  was  not  necessary.  Whether  this  is  the 
case  or  not,  the  one  now  being  referred  to  brought  Dendrobium  specta¬ 
bile  from  Mr.  F.  J.  Thorne,  gardener  to  Major  J.  Joicey,  of  Sunning- 
dale  Park  ;  and  it  created  quite  a  sensation,  as  it  is  the  first  known 
time  that  it  has  been  flowered  in  this  country.  It  is  very  beautiful 
indeed,  though  in  many  respects  it  does  not  partake  much  of  the 
Dendrobium.  The  plant  exhibited  carried  four  perfect  flowers,  and 
was  in  a  very  healthy  state.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  creamy 
yellow,  with  broken  lines  and  spots  of  maroon  ;  the  margins  are  wavy 
and  undulating  in  character,  and  terminating  in  long  cream  points, 
destitute  of  other  colour.  The  superb  lip  has  a  length  of  2  inches,  and 
is  peculiarly  twisted  and  undulating  in  character.  The  ground  is 
deep  cream,  barred  with  blackish  brown,  and  having  a  central  broad 
line  of  bright  chocolate.  The  base  of  the  lip  and  the  side  lobes  are 
milk-white  with  crimson  bars.  The  width  of  the  flower,  which  is 
admirably  portrayed  in  the  illustration  (fig.  97),  is  just  over  3  inches. 
The  Orchid  Committee  recommended  a  first-class  certificate.  Mr. 
Thorne,  who  is  remarkably  successful  with  what  are  usually  known 
as  difficult  Orchids,  has  promised  to  give  readers  of  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  particulars  of  the  treatment  to  which  he  attributes  his 
unvarying  success. 
D.  spectabile  was  introduced  into  this  country  many  years 
ago  by  Messrs.  J.  Yeitch  &  Sons,  Chelsea,  and  re-introduced 
some  three  or  four  years  ago  by  Messrs.  F.  Sander  &  Co.,  St.  Albans. 
It  is  represented  in  several  collections  in  the  country,  and  is  now 
flowering  with  Mr.  White  in  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence’s  collection,  and  with 
Mr.  Downes  in  that  of  J.  T.  Bennett  Poe,  Esq.,  but  was  not  in  either 
of  these  cases  sufficiently  developed  for  exhibiting  on  the  18th  inst., 
so  that  Mr.  Thorne  has  secured  for  Major  Joicey  the  honour  of  being 
the  first  exhibitor  and  the  holder  of  the  first-class  certificate. 
Cypripedium  Hera  var.  Euryades. 
The  extraordinarily  varied  Cypripedium  family  is  constantly  being 
added  to  by  our  most  skilful  hybridists,  and  these  augmentations  give 
a  variety  of  form  and  colour  that  is  little  short  of  astonishing,  and  was 
undreamt  of  a  generation  ago.  One  of  the  latest  to  receive  the  pro¬ 
minence  of  exhibition  before  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  is  C.  Hera  var.  Euryades,  which  is  represented 
in  fig.  98.  This  was  shown  at  the  Drill  Hall  on  December  5tb  by  Mr. 
W.  H.  White,  Orchid  grower  to  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart.,  Burford 
Lodge,  Dorking,  and  is  an  exquisitely  beautiful  flower.  The  superb 
dorsal  sepal  has  a  white  ground  suffused  with  green  at  the  base,  and 
with  numerous  large  and  small  brownish-purple  spots,  and  a  hroad 
margin  of  white  flushed  with  rose.  The  pouch  is  rather  above  average 
size,  and  is  claret-purple  in  colour.  The  varnished  petals  are  green 
profusely  spotted  with  bmwD,  which  colour  practically  obscures  the 
ground  of  the  upper  half.  The  Orchid  Committee  recommended  a 
first-class  certificate  for  this  Cypripedium. 
Epidendrum  Endresi. 
It  is  a  great  pity  this  charming  little  plant  is  so  uncommon,  for  it 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  genus  despite  its  small  size.  From 
small  erect  stems  about  8  inches  or  9  inches  high  it  ptroduces 
terminal  racemes  of  pretty  white  flowers  with  purple  spots  about  the 
lip  and  column.  Naturally  such  a  plant  does  not  need  much 
compost  or  a  large  pot,  and  it  has  a  pretty  effect  grown  in  small 
baskets.  The  collector  whose  name  it  bears  found  this  pretty  plant 
iu  Costa  Rica  about  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  but  neither  his 
efforts  nor  those  of  subsequent  collectors  have  been  rewarded  by  much 
success  in  importing  it  alive. 
Cattleya  chocoensis. 
There  is  really  very  little  in  this  Cattleya  excepting  the  name  to 
separate  it  from  C.  Trianas,  and  even  the  latter  is  a  misnomer,  for  a 
well-known  traveller  in  the  neighbourhood  of  its  habitat  tells  us  that 
it  growrs  in  the  State  of  Cauoo  in  Colombia,  and  not  in  Choco,  as  the 
name  would  indicate.  The  plant  is  the  same  in  habit  as  the  above 
species,  and  the  flowers  differ  only  in  not  opening  fully.  The  sepals 
and  petals  are  white  or  very  pale  rose,  the  lip  having  light  purple 
side  lobes,  a  yellow  throat,  aud  a  bright  purple  blotch  in  front.  The 
blossoms  are  sweetly  scented,  and  it  requires  the  same  treatment  as 
C.  Trianse. 
