May  18,  1893. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
401 
Cattleya  Mossi^  Reineckiana. 
Though  not,  strictly  speaking,  an  albino,  this  plant  is  much  sought 
after  by  Cattleya  lovers,  and  many  growers  consider  it  more  beautiful 
than  a  true  albino,  on  account  of  its  highly  coloured  lip,  which,  with 
the  deep  yellow  throat,  lorms  a  contrast  with  the  snowy  whiteness  of 
the  sepals  and  petals  that  is  superb.  Theie  is  much  variation  in  the  i 
jdants  grown  under  this  name,  many  of  them  having  creamy  wldte 
sepals  and  petals ;  but  these  are  not  to  be  compared  with  the  white 
ones  for  beauty.  C.  M.  Reineckiana  thrives  under  the  same  conditions  1 
as  the  typical  Mossiae,  but  its  flowers  should  not  be  allowed  to  stop  i 
on  the  plants  too  long,  as  this  favours  the  weakening  of  succeeding  i 
growth,  and  I  have  seen  plants  nearly  ruined  from  this  alone.  I’he  ^ 
plants  are  now  pushing  their  flower  spikes,  and  soon  will  unveil  their 
beautiful  flowers. 
Masdevallia  muscosa. 
After  looking  at  a  large  bank  of  the  showier  Orchids  in  flower,  one  ; 
turns  with  greater  interest  to  those  botanical  curiosities,  of  which  the 
above  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  interesting.  It  has  been  aptly  called  : 
the  Sensitive  Orchid,  as  the  least  touch  on  the  labellum  causes  it 
to  close  instantly.  The  plant  is  readily  cultivated  in  small  pans 
suspended  quite  close  to  the  glass,  potted  in  equal  portions  of  prepared 
peat  and  moss,  and  placed  in  the  cool  house.  The  flowers,  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  are  borne  on  slender  scapes  5  or  1 
large  quantities  of  water  when  in  active  growth,  but  when  at  rest 
rau'ch  less  will  suflice,  though  they  must  never  be  allowed  to  get  dust 
dry.  I  will  commence  with  0.  macranthum,  which  is,  in  my  opinion, 
the  finest  Oncidium  yet  introduced.  It  produces  flowers  from  3  to 
4  inches  across,  with  golden  brown  sepals  and  clear  bright  yellow 
petals ;  in  fact  it  is  too  well  known  to  call  for  any  description.  ^  Many 
growers  consider  it  short  lived,  but  this  is  entirely  due,  I  believe,  to 
allowing  their  spikes  to  stay  on  the  plants  too  long,  as  this  greatly 
weakens  them.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  a  spike  several  feet 
long  needs  much  support,  and  when  all  the  flowers  are  open  I  consider 
the  spike  should  be  removed.  0.  chrysodipterum  is  very  rare, .distinct, 
and  handsome.  The  upper  sepal  is  of  a  beautiful  bright  chestnut 
brown,  with  a  narrow  band  of  yellow.  4 he  two  lateral  sepals  are 
wholly  brown,  while  the  much  smaller  petals  are  a  bright  gamboge 
yellow  spotted  with  brown,  and  the  lip  nearly  the  same  colour. 
0.  falcipetalum  is  not  so  showy  as  some  of  the  others.  It  often 
produces  a  spike  20  feet  long  with  flowers  3  inches  across,  the  sepals 
of  which  arc  brown  with  a  yellow  border,  the  petals  yellow,  spotted 
with  brown  on  the  lower  halves.  It  is  a  distinct  plant  that  is  seldom 
seen.  A  peculiar  form  is  0.  lamelligerum,  and,  like  the  others,  bears 
flowers  of  different  shades  of  browm  and  yellow,  and  when  in  blcom 
6  inches  high,  and  the  leaves  are  2  inches  long.  As  in  M.  tovarensis, 
the  flowers  are  produced  from  the  old  spike. 
L.elia  latona. 
This  most  beautiful  hybrid  is  again  in  flower,  and  it  is  astonishing 
what  influence  L.  cinnabarina  has  brought  to  bear  upon  its  other 
parent  L.  purpurata,  as  it  is  almost  exactly  intermediate  betw^cen  the 
two.  It  is  astonishing  how  the  yellow  from  these  small  Laelias  infuses 
into  their  offspring  such  lovely  colours,  of  which  we  have  several 
examples,  such  as  hippol.yta,  Maroni,  and  others.  L.  latona  was  raised 
b}^  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  and  received  a  first-class  certificate  when 
exhibited  on  May  3rd,  1892.  It  will  succeed  under  similar  treatment 
to  its  parents,  and  is  a  most  pleasing  and  delightful  Orchid. 
Oncidium  macranthum  and  Allies. 
These  form  a  magniScent  section  of  this  large  family  of  plants 
which  will  succeed  in  the  cool  house  the  whole  year  round.  They 
produce  their  flowers  on  long  twining,  often  branching  spikes,  the 
individual  flowers  on  most  of  them  being  of  large  size.  They  should 
be  grown  in  pots  in  a  mixt\ire  of  equal  parts  of  rough  peat  and 
sphagnum  moss,  and  the  drainage  must  be  perfect,  as  they  require 
Fig.  88.— Cypriredium  Pollettianum. 
Renanthera  Imschootiana. 
This  is  a  remarkable  plant,  which  produces  flowers  of  an  uncommon 
colour — namely,  a  deep  reddish  vermilion  ;  and  a  plant  which  flowered 
freely  last  season  is  again  vigorously  pushing  up  its  spikes.  It  is  of 
small  growth,  and  produces  a  spike  some  18  inches  long,  well  clothed 
with  flowers.  I  find  it  thrives  well  in  a  small  basket  suspended 
quite  close  to  the  glass  in  a  warm  Cattleya  house,  and  it  should  be 
grown  in  nothing  but  clean  live  sphagnum  mos.s,  well  watered  when 
in  active  growth,  and  only  enough  given  it  in 
the  winter  months  to  prevent  shrivelling.  It  ' 
is  a  native  of  Cochin  China,  and  on  account  of 
its  colour  deserves  more  attention. 
I 
Masdevallia  ephippium. 
There  appears  to  be  a  considerable  amount 
of  doubt  as  to  when  this  interesting  Orchid 
was  introduced,  and  it  seems  to  have  had 
several  names  given  it  by  the  various  collectors 
who  were  fortunate  enough  to  find  it.  It  is 
frequently  called  the  Humming  Bird  Orchid, 
but  not  being  an  ornithologist  I  cannot  see 
much  resemblance  to  a  bird.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  it  is  a  plant  worth  a  place  where  the  less 
showy  and  more  curious  Orchids  find  a  home. 
This  species  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  genus, 
as  the  leaves  sometimes  reach  the  height  of  8  or  9  inches,  and  its  | 
scape  12  or  more  high.  The  flowers  are  often  4  inches  long,  of  a 
yellowish-brown  tinged  with  red,  with  three  reflexed  yellow  tails. 
M.  ephippium  succeeds  well  with  the  other  Masdevallias  of  the  Ilarryana 
type,  but  the  old  spikes  should  never  be  cut  off,  as  they  produce 
flowers  again  like  M.  tovarensis. 
Cypripedium  Pollettianum. 
Hybrid  Cypripediums,  in  their  numbers,  are  fast  approaching  the 
time  when  one  will  have  to  use  considerable  discretion  before  recom¬ 
mending  any  particular  variety  ;  but  C.  Pollettianum  (fig.  88)  I  can 
recommend  to  every  lover  of  these  beautiful  plants.  It  is  a  compound 
hybrid  raised  from  C.  calophyllum,  fertilised  with  the  pollen  of 
C.  oenanthum  superbum,  and  ranks  in  beauty  with  C.  triumphans, 
C.  Euryades,  C.  Milo,  and  C.  Adrastus.  It  does  not  seem  to  be  so 
well  known  as  it  ought  to  be,  and  many  visitors  express  the  greatest 
admiration  on  seeing  it  for  the  first  time.  A  large  jlant  with  us  is 
seldom  without  a  flower.  It  is  a  good  grower,  in  an  ordinary  warm 
Cypripedium  house,  potted  in  the  mixture  that  has'often  been  recom¬ 
mended  for  Cypripediums.  The  leaves  show  slight  reticulations,  and 
reach  the  length  of  12  to  15  inches.  The  dorsal  sepal  is  of  a  yellowish 
green  colour,  broadly  margined  with  white,  veined  on  the  sides  and 
middle  with  brownish  crimson,  and  densely  spotted  with  chocolate. 
The  sepals  and  petals  are  greenish  brown  at  the  base,  deepening  at  the 
extremities  to  a  light  purple  brown,  marbled  with  darker  spots.  It  is 
a  flower  of  good  size,  and  altogether  a  most  beautiful  Cypripedium. 
