May  4,  18£9. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
357 
Cypeipedidm  Bellatulum  Hybrids. 
Cypripediom  Venubel,  figured  ou  page  315  of  your  issue  of 
April  20th,  is  another  addition  to  the  list  of  hybrids  in  which 
C.  bellatulum  is  one  parent.  It  is  astonishing  what  influence  this 
parent  bears  on  its  offspring,  as  by  the  woodcut  given  it  is  easily  seen 
that  C.  Venubel  has  a  great  likeness  in  form  to  some  of  the  oilier  crosses 
effected  with  this  species.  Never  before  have  I  heard  of  a  Cypri- 
pedium  producing  six  flowers  on  one  spike,  and  1  assume  the  spike 
is  a  fasciated  one.  Even  then  it  must  be  an  exception  to  the  rule 
of  C.  bellatulum  hybrids,  as  not  all  of  them  are  of  an  extraordinari  y 
vigorous  growth. 
Most  people,  I  am  sure,  will  admit  that  the  hybridist  has  made 
immense  strides  in  this  class.  Let  us  start  with  C.  Lawrebellum  and 
southgatense,  the  former  a  cross  between  C.  Lawrer.ceannm  and 
C.  bellatulum,  and  the  latter  between  the  last  named  and  the  hybrid 
C.  Harrisianum,  both  of  which  leceived  f.c.c.  frt'm  the  R.H.S.,in  1892. 
Then  followed  C.  Charles  Rickman,  which  resulted  from  C.  bella¬ 
tulum  and  a  variety  of  C.  barbatum,  and  was  raised  by  the  gardener 
whose  name  it  bears,  and  since  has  been  raised  in  other  collections, 
and  received  varietal  names,  such  as  Meteore,  Marchioness  of  Salis¬ 
bury,  and  Leysenianum.  It  has  received  under  its  various  names 
sev.ral  recognitions,  and  no  doubt  each  of  the  seedlings  differs  in  some 
respect  from  the  others.  Another  fine  cross  raised  at  Burford  is 
C.  conco-Lawre,  which  is  a  cross  well  expressed  by  its  name.  Then 
we  have  C.  Annie  Measures,  a  cross  between  C.  bellatulum  and 
C.  Dayanum.  C.  Arnoldim  was  shown  by  Messrs.  F.  Sander  &  Co. 
in  the  same  year  (1894),  and  both  received  F.c.c. 
In  the  year  following  several  very  fine  plants  were  first  .shown  in 
which  this  species  was  a  parent.  First  we  have  C.  Mrs.  F.  Hardy,  a 
cross  with  superbiens,  which  received  an  award  of  merit ;  and  then 
Gertrude  Hollington,a  cross  with  C.  ciliolare,  which  received  the  f.c.c. 
C.  Olenus  was  first  shown  in  1895,  and  of  which  perhaps  it  may  bo 
said,  this  cross,  the  reverse  of  C.  Gertrude  Hollington,  has  produced 
the  finest  hybrid  Cypripedium  in  cultivation,  which  was  shown  at  the 
last  Temple  Show  as  C.  Olenus,  Burford  variety ;  it  received  a  f.c.c. 
on  April  10th,  1898. 
C.  James  Buckingham,  a  cross  with  a  hybrid  (C.  cnfnldense), 
raised  in  the  collection  of  W.  Hollington,  Esq  ,  of  Enfield,  received  an 
A.M.  in  1896.  C.  Schofieldianum  foilowed,  and  is  a  cross  with 
C.  hirsutissimum,  and  received  an  a.m.  in  the  same  year.  C.  Madeline 
raised  in  the  same  collection  as  C.  Charles  Rickman,  resulted  from 
a  cross  with  C.  Argus,  and  also  received  an  a.m.  1895.  C.  Chapmani 
magnificum,  a  cross  with  C.  Curtisi,  received  a  F.c.c.,  as  did  C.  concc- 
bellatulum,  which,  as  its  name  implies,  is  a  cross  with  C.  concolor. 
C.  bellatulo-vexillarium  received  an  a.m.  when  shown  by  Mrs.  Briggs 
Bury  of  Accrington. 
There  are  other  existing  hybrids  raised  from  this  species^ — namely, 
the  lovely  C.  Pari.'i,  which  is  a  cross  with  C.  Stonei,  C.  Measurise, 
C.  William  Lloyd  (fig.  81),  which  has  a  hybrid  for  a  paient  in 
G.  Swanianum  ;  then  there  is  C.  Godefroyae  bellatulum,  shown  by 
myself  at  the  last  Yorkshire  Gala.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  list  of 
these  interesting  crosses  is  getting  rather  lengthy,  but  it  is  to  be 
expected  that,  good  as  they  are,  there  are  even  more  beautiful  ones  to 
be  flowered  yet. 
As  is  only  to  be  expected  with  such  crosses,  they  are  extremely 
variable  in  growth,  some  being  much  more  vigorous  than  other.s.  All 
with  which  I  have  had  to  deal  succeed  in  a  warm  Cypripedium  house, 
elevated  in  one  corner  to  themselves,  potted  in  one  part  good  fibrous 
peat  and  one  part  good  yellow  loam,  mixed  with  some  finely  broken 
potsherds  and  a  little  living  sphagnum  moss.  When  they  require 
moisture  they  are  carefully  dipped  in  a  bucket  of  chilled  soft  water, 
taking  care  that  water  does  not  run  into  the  base  of  the  leaves,  which 
is  apt  to  cause  decay,  and  for  this  reason  they  are  never  sprinkled. 
In  the  winter  months  the}'  require  small  quantities  of  water,  and  none 
should  be  given  unless  the  grower  is  quite  satisfied  that  it  is  necessary. 
These  and  the  Cypripedium  niveum  hybrids,  which  I  may  speak  of 
at  some  future  date,  in  my  estimation,  comprise  the  most  beautiful  of 
all  Cypripediums. — J.  Barker,  Ilessle. 
Ljelia  puepueata  versicolor. 
This  is  one  of  the  finest  of  the  purpurata  varieties,  the  deep 
markings  upon  the  petals  giving  it  a  very  distinct  and  handsome 
appearance.  It  is  greatly  superior  to  such  as  L.  p.  Ashworthiana,  in 
Avhich  the  lip  seems  to  be  repeated  in  the  petals.  This  beautiful  variety 
seems  also  to  be  extremely  free  in  growth,  the  owner  of  the  original 
plant  having  taken  several  fine  pieces  off  it,  yet  he  tells  me  it  is 
breaking  strongly  again  from  the  back  buds  this  season,  a  fact  that 
does  not  point  to  the  ill  effects  of  division. 
Epidendrum  vaeicosum. 
This  is  a  dwarf  growing  plant  of  rather  peculiar  habit,  the  pseudo¬ 
bulb  lengthening  out  into  a  leafy  stem,  and  yiroducing  erect  sjiikes  of 
flowers,  these  being  small  and  of  peculiar  colour.  The  sepals  and 
petals  are  brownish,  lip  white  with  rose  purple  spot,  and  the  blossoms 
last  well  in  good  condition.  A  native  of  large  tracts  of  country  in 
Central  America,  E.  varicosum  is  not  a  fastidious  plant  as  to  tempera¬ 
ture,  but  does  best  in  a  light  position  at  the  cool  end  of  the  Cattleya 
house,  potted  in  a  rough  mixture  of  peat  fibre  and  moss.  The  plant  is 
one  of  those  that  have  received  several  names  from  different  botanists, 
the  variation  in  the  colour  of  the  lip  doubtless  accounting  for  much  of 
the  confusion  which  has  occurred.  It  was  first  discovered  by  Mr.  G. 
Ure  Skinner  in  Guatemala,  and  probably  sent  by  him  to  Mr.  Bateman. 
Cattleya  citrina. 
The  delicate  perfume  of  this  Orchid,  and  the  fact  of  the  colour  being 
very  unusual  in  the  genus,  gives  it  quite  a  unique  position.  Its  hab.t 
Fig.  81.— Cypripedium  William  Lloyd. 
of  growing  head  downwards,  too,  is  peculiar,  and  altogether  it  is  one  of 
the  most  distinct  Orchids  in  cultivation.  It  is  not  everywhere  a 
success,  and  most  growers  are  under  the  necessity  of  purchasing  newly 
imported  plants  occasionally  to  keep  up  a  stock  of  it.  It  is  most 
likely  to  succeed  if  wired  to  blocks  of  cork  or  rafts  lightly  dressed  with 
sphagnum  moss.  Probably  most  of  our  Orchid  readers  have  tried  it  ii: 
some  way  or  other,  and  any  who  have  been  at  all  successful  over  a 
lengthened  series  of  years,  would  render  a  service  to  others  by  recording 
their  experience  with  it.  Any  note  on  the  times  of  growth  and  rest,  as 
observed  under  various  conditions,  would  be  exceptionally  interesting, 
and  also  instructive  to  those  who  are  trying  to  grow  it  with  only 
moderate  success. 
Masdevallia  teiaristella. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  that  charming  section  of  the 
genus,  comprising  many  lovely  little  gems — not  at  all  showy,  but  by 
their  marvellous  structure  and  dainty  beauty  very  interesting  to  tho.«e 
who  find  a  place  for  other  than  showy  Orchids.  The  plant  is  only 
about  3  inches  high,  the  flower  stems  almost  invisible,  and  each 
bearing  a  little  brownish  crimson  and  yellow  flower,  of  so  complicated 
a  structure  that  a  description  of  it  conveys  no  idea  to  the  lay  mind  of 
what  it  is  really  like. 
The  culture  of  this  section  requires  a  considerable  amount  of  care, 
but  there  is  no  particular  difficulty  to  be  got  over ;  all  depends  upon 
timely  and  judicious  attention  to  the  various  small  details.  In  tha 
