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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  13,  1896. 
Notes  on  Bendrobiums. 
As  spring  advances  these  beautiful  and  useful  Orchids  come 
more  prominently  into  notice,  and  as  the  charming  blossoms  of  the 
different  species  unfold  it  is  not  difficult  to  assign  a  reason  for  their 
popularity.  During  the  dark  winter  and  late  autumn  days  the 
exquisitely  tinted  flowers  of  D.  phakenopsia  have  been  delighting 
our  eyes,  not  the  least  of  its  charms  being  the  jaunty  manner  in 
which  the  racemes  are  carried,  each  flower  showing  its  face  to  the 
observer  so  to  speak.  Now  that  these  are  getting  past  there  is  the 
richly  marked  D.  crassinode,  the  chaste-looking  D.  Wardianum, 
and  our  old  friend  D.  nobile.  These  in  their  different  varieties 
are  quite  sufficient  to  make  a  very  interesting  and  beautiful  display, 
but  they  by  no  means  exhaust  the  list  of  species  in  flower. 
D.  Pierardi  and  D.  Devonianum  are  two  very  elegant  and  free- 
flowering  kind*,  not  unlike  in  habit,  but  quite  distinct  in  flower. 
These  both  produce  long  cylindrical  pseudo-bulbs,  or  stems 
frequently  over  a  yard  in  length,  and  these,  if  well  ripened,  flower 
in  bunches  of  two  or  three  nearly  the  whole  way  down.  No  one 
can  see  such  plants  as  these  without  being  struck  with  their  beauty, 
while  the  smaller  blossoms  of  D.  aureum  and  similar  kinds  have  a 
certain  elegance  and  grace  not  possessed  by  many  larger  and  more 
gorgeously  coloured  Orchids.  The  black-haired  D.  infundibulum, 
with  its  pure  white  flowers  and  dense  yellow  crest,  its  near  relation 
Jamesianum,  and  one  or  two  others,  are  of  a  different  style  of 
beauty,  and  this  is  maintained  over  a  long  period.  They  find  many 
admirers,  and  are  amongst  the  most  useful  of  Orchids  for  cutting. 
The  number  of  artificially  raised  hybrids  again  make  quite  a 
section  of  the  genus,  many  of  them  very  rare  and  expensive  of 
course,  but  others — and  fortunately  some  of  the  most  beautiful — 
cheap  enough  to  be  within  the  reach  of  all  who  aspire  to  a 
collection  of  Orchids.  D.  nobile  has  perhaps  oftener  than  any 
other  kind  been  used  as  a  parent,  and  it  has  in  most  cases  trans¬ 
mitted  its  excellent  constitution  to  its  progeny.  The  hybrids  then, 
such  as  the  now  well-kDown  D.  Ainsworthi,  are  easily  grown  and 
propagated  ;  in  fact  I  think  I  am  right  in  saying  that  they  are  even 
more  robust  than  D.  nobile  itself. 
Among  the  evergreen  kinds  there  are  not  many  in  flower  as  yet, 
the  pretty  little  D.  aggregatum  being  the  only  one.  This  deserves 
to  be  more  generally  grown  than  is  the  case  at  present,  for  though 
the  blossoms  are  small  the  clear  yellow  of  the  sepals  and  deep 
orange  lip  are  quite  distinct  from  anything  else  now  flowering. 
There  are  signs,  though,  in  the  swelling  nodes  of  D.  densiflorum, 
D.  thyrsiflorum,  D.  chrysotoxum,  D.  suavissimum,  and  others  that 
their  flowering  *eason  is  not  far  distant,  and  in  this  connection  there 
is  but  one  cause  for  regret,  and  that  is  their  somewhat  evanescent 
character.  While  they  last,  however,  they  are  truly  beautiful,  and 
from  their  distinct  character  are  especially  useful  for  grouping  in 
the  flowering  house  or  conservatory  with  other  Orchids. 
The  culture  of  the  great  majority  of  Dendrobiums  is  of  the 
easiest  kind,  but  a  few  of  the  more  salient  points  in  it  may  perhaps 
be  touched  on  briefly  with  advantage.  As  a  rule  they  like  tropical 
treatment  while  gt  owing,  but  the  heat  required  by  D.  phalaenopsis 
or  D.  Wardianum  is  rather  more  than  the  evergreen  kind  like. 
None  of  the  latter  take  long  to  grow,  a  plant  say  of  D.  densiflorum 
making  a  complete  set  of  new  growths  in  about  ten  weeks  at  the 
most,  and  frequently  under  the  two  months.  If  these  are  placed 
in  the  Cattleya  house  then  there  is  ample  time  for  them,  and  the 
growth*  will  be  finer  and  more  firm  than  they  would  in  the  East 
Indian  house.  A  few  weeks’  exposure  to  the  open  air  or  in  a 
sunny  frame  is  a  great  help  to  them,  keeping  them  free  of  insects 
and  giving  the  pseudo-bulbs  that  hardened  ripened  appearance  that 
all  experienced  growers  like  to  see.  They  must,  however,  be 
housed  before  frost  sets  in,  and  if  standing  quite  exposed,  before 
the  heavy  autumnal  rains.  They  may  be  wintered  either  in  the 
Cattleya  house  or  in  any  structure  kept  up  to  about  50°,  providing 
the  atmosphere  is  not  too  dry. 
The  long-bulbed  deciduous  kinds,  on  the  other  band,  can  hardly 
be  kept  too  warm  while  growing,  and  they  like  a  brisk  temperature 
with  abundance  of  moisture,  and  towards  the  end  of  the  summer, 
particularly,  almost  full  exposure  to  sun.  These  will  not,  as  a  rule, 
have  finished  growing  in  time  to  be  placed  outside,  but  any  plants 
that  have  done  so  may  be  thus  treated  with  decided  advantage. 
Others  we  place  in  the  full  sun  on  the  front  Btage  of  a  vinery,  on  a 
shelf  in  the  Peach  house,  or  some  similar  position,  the  aim  being 
to  give  all  the  sun  and  air  possible  as  the  leaves  fall,  and  so  harden 
and  consolidate  the  newly  formed  pseudo-bulb. 
In  this  way  we  lay  the  foundation  for  a  plentiful  display  of 
flower  in  spring,  badly  ripened  bulbs  never  producing  anything  like 
a  full  complement,  or  bringing  even  these  to  perfection.  Good  peat 
fibre  and  sphagnum  form  the  basis  of  the  compost  for  most  of  the 
species,  using  it  in  rough  or  fine  condition,  according  to  the  size  of 
the  pot  or  basket.  A*  a  general  rule  it  will  be  found,  too,  that  the 
larger  roots  a  plant  has  the  rougher  the  compost  must  be,  while 
the  smaller  twining  roots  like  it  somewhat  closer  in  texture. 
— H.  R.  R. 
D.  LUTEOLUM. 
Flowering  as  it  does  at  this  season  of  the  year  this  i3  one  of 
the  most  useful  Orchids  we  have,  and  it  is  besides  of  the  easiest 
cultivation.  During  the  months  of  January  and  February  flowers, 
though  fairly  numerous,  are  none  too  abundant,  and  the  bright 
yellow  inflorescence  of  D.  luteolum  (fig.  21)  is  certain  to  meet 
with  general  approbation,  especially  when  it  is  recognised  that  the 
flowers  last  for  a  considerable  time  in  good  condition.  The  plant 
requires  a  warm  temperature,  from  55°  to  60°  being  suitable  during 
the  winter  months.  The  flowers,  as  will  be  seen  by  referring  to 
the  engraving,  are  produced  in  short  racemes  on  an  erect  spike, 
and  are  of  a  pleasing  soft  primrose  tint.  It  is  a  species  with  which 
all  amateur  Orchid  growers  should  become  acquainted. 
KENTISH  ORCHIDS. 
In  the  “  Kent  Magazine,”  a  new  quarterly  issued  by  Mr. 
Neville  Beeman,  and  devoted  to  county  matters,  an  interesting 
article  appears  from  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  C.  H.  Fielding  on  Kentish 
Orchids.  In  the  course  of  it  he  says  : — The  Lizard  Orchis  is 
probably  confined  to  the  part  of  Kent  which  lies  between  Grayford, 
Greenhithe,  and  Greenstreet  Green.  I  saw  one  from  Greenbithe 
in  1879,  and  another  from  the  same  place  in  1883  ;  my  father  had 
two  from  Dartford  in  1850.  The  Latin  name  for  this  Orchid  is 
Orchis  hircina,  because  it  smells  most  disagreeably  like  a  goat. 
Orchis  pyramidalis,  so  named  from  its  cone  of  deep  rose-coloured 
flowers,  is  scattered  widely  over  the  Chalk  Hills.  The  dwarf  Orchis 
(Orchis  ustulata)  stands  about  3  inches  high,  and  is  found  com¬ 
monly  at  Hartlip,  near  Sittingbourne,  but  is  a  very  local  plant. 
In  the  London  catalogue  Orchis  purpurea  is  given,  but  it  is  not 
mentioned  by  Withering,  Hooker,  orBabington,  while  Orchis  fusca 
(the  Great  Brown),  the  glory  of  our  Chalk  Hill  Woods,  is  omitted  ; 
probably  this  Orchis  is  meant.  The  cap  is  brownish  purple,  the 
lip  four-cleft,  white  spotted  with  pink  edges  ;  it  is  a  fine  plant. 
I  found  a  specimen  at  Otford  Mount  in  1874,  which  was  4  feet 
6  inches  high,  and  on  being  dug  up  for  examination  because  of  its 
size,  the  knob  was  found  to  be  above  2  inches  in  length.  It  is 
called  in  Kent  the  Old  Woman’s  or  Lady’s  Orchis,  from  the  fancied 
resemblance  of  the  flowers  to  a  miniature  figure  dressed  in  the 
wide  sleeves,  apron,  and  large  bonnet  of  a  female  at  the  close  of 
the  last  century. 
The  Military  and  Monkey  Orchis. 
Orchis  militaris  (the  Military  Orchis)  is  very  similar,  and,  indeed, 
there  are  many  botanists  that  think  them  only  a  variety  of  the  same 
flower.  The  difference  i*  only  in  the  shape  of  the  basal  lobes  and 
helmet  and  the  paler  colour  of  the  latter.  In  some  parts  of  the 
Chalk  Hills  the  Military  Orchis  appears,  in  others  the  Fusca,  to  be 
most  abundant.  The  Monkey  Orchis  is  perhaps  extinct  in  Kent. 
My  father  found  it  Dear  Dartford  in  1848,  but  I  have  never  found 
it  nor  heard  of  its  being  found  since.  Orchis  Simia  is  the  modern 
Latin  name,  but  Babington  calls  it  Macra,  and  Withering  Tephro- 
santhos.  Orchis  Morio,  the  Meadow  (or  Fool’s  Orchis)  is  to  be  found 
in  considerable  quantities  in  damp  meadows  in  different  parts  of 
the  country  ;  it  varies  wonderfully  in  colour,  from  pale  salmon  or 
even  white  to  deep  purple  and  black. 
One  of  our  commonest  flowers  in  the  woods  in  spring,  and 
which  with  the  wild  Hyacinth  and  green  leaves  makes  a  pretty 
bouquet,  is  the  early  purple  Orchis  (Orchis  mascula).  This  plant 
varies  nearly  as  much  as  the  previous  one  ;  it  sometimes  attains 
18  inches,  and  has  forty  or  fifty  blooms,  and  has  when  the  flowers 
are  pale  no  dark  spot#  on  the  leaf.  Its  smell  in  a  room  is  very 
unpleasant.  These  flowers  are  the  Long  Purples  of  poor  Ophelia  s 
garland,  and  Shakespeare  also  calls  them  Dead  Men’s  Fingers,  a 
name  by  which  they  are  known  in  this  county,  as  also  Ladies’ 
Fingers  or  Red  Butchers.  Mr.  Mault  of  Rochdale  wrote  a  treatise 
on  the  beat  method  of  preserving  the  juice,  from  which  both  he 
and  Dr.  Withering  considered  salep  was  made. 
