August  IG,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
149 
Cypripedium  Sander-superbiene. 
This,  “  W.  R.,"  was  the  first  Cypripediurn  Sinderiatium  hybrid 
(fig.  40)  to  appear,  and  it  was  exhibueii  by  Mr.  Xorraau  C.  Cookson 
at  the  Agricultural  Hall  on 
August  29th,  1893,  under  the 
above  name,  and  received  an 
award  of  merit.  The  other  species 
■employed  was  C.  superbiens,  and 
the  credit  of  the  cross  belongs  to 
Captain  Vipan,  the  hybrid  having 
been  raised  by  Mr.  Cookson  from 
seed  supplied  by  the  former.  It 
is  a  beautiful  and  distinct  form, 
the  flowers  being  of  great  size, 
and  remarkable  for  the  very  long, 
■drooping  petals,  which  are  double 
the  length  ot  the  lip.  They  are 
pale  yellow  in  colour,  heavi’y 
blotched  with  chocolate.  The  lin 
is  brownish  red,  and  the  dorsal 
sepal,  which  is  pointed,  greenish 
white  with  chocolate  lines. 
Oncidium  incnrvum. 
Where  fragrant  Orchids  are 
-ssteemed  this  should  be  accorded 
a  place ;  in  fact,  it  is  worth  a 
position  in  any  collection,  how¬ 
ever  limited.  Its  small  mauve 
and  white  flowers  are  produced 
on  a  branched  slender  stem  3  or 
4  feet  in  length,  more  than  2  feet 
of  its  length  being  covered  with 
flowers.  One  good  spike  or  two 
will  perfume  the  air  of  a  mode¬ 
rately  sized  house,  and  are  most 
effective  either  for  decoration  or 
cuttinir,  as  the  spikes  are  light 
and  droop  gracefully.  It  thrives 
well  either  in  a  pot  or  basket,  the 
former  being  preferable  if  stage 
room  is  plentiful;  if  not,  it  can 
be  most  successfully  cultivated  in 
a  basket  suspended  from  the 
roof. 
If  grown  in  pots  they  should 
be  filled  at  least  half  full  of 
drainage,  for  it  is  essential  to 
make  provision  for  the  water 
supplied  to  pass  away  freely.  If 
the  soil  is  allowed  to  become  sour 
or  saturated,  this  Orchid  soon 
presents  a  yellow  sicsly  appeir- 
ance  which  is  unnatural  to  it, 
for  when  doing  well  the  foliage 
is  deep  green  in  colour.  The 
material  used  for  potting  should 
be  peat  fibre,  which,  if  good,  will 
be  found  to  last  in  a  healthy 
condition  for  several  years. 
Oharcoal  in  lumps  may  with 
advantage  be  used,  and  a  little  living  sphagium  moss  on  the 
surface.  The  roots  evidently  like  the  moss,  and  are  not  long  before 
they  tike  full  possess  on  of  it;  but  it  is  not  wi-<e  to  u,se  it  mixel 
with  the  peat  for  p  itting,  because  it  decays  too  quickly  and  cvnnit  be 
removed  with  ut  disturbing  the  roots  of  the  plants  too  much,  and 
therefore  ciusing  au  unnecessary  check  annually.  When  the  moss  is 
used  only  on  the  surface  the  majority  can  readify  be  removed  when 
repotting  or  top- iressing  tlie  plants  that  miy  be  grown  in  the  same 
house.  Potting  and  top-dressing  is  best  done  just  as  signs  of  growth 
are  visible. 
When  the  roots  are  active  and  the  growth  luxiriant,  liberal 
supplies  of  water  should  be  given,  but  the  supoly  ra  ist  be  gradually 
diminished  as  growth  is  being  perfected.  The  supply  in  spring  must 
also  be  as  judiciously  iucrea.sed  as  the  growth  progresses.  During  the 
resting  season  very  little  water  is  needed  ;  in  fact,  only  sufficient  to 
keep  the  pseudo-bulbs  fresh  and  plump.-  If  the  soil  ab  ut  the  roots  is 
kept  in  a  moist  condition  during  the  resting  period  they  are  very  liable 
to  perish,  and  in  addition  the  plants  do  not  receive  a  complete  period 
of  rest.  This  is  essential  if  they  are  to  bloom  profu.'^ely  and  grow 
luxuriantly  the  following  season.  The  longer  the  season  of  inactivity 
the  better  the  plants  flower  and  grow  afterwards.  A  fair  amount  of 
light  should  be  given,  or  the  foliage  draws  up  rather  weakly.  The 
amount  of  shade  frequently  given  to  Odontoglossums  is  rather  too 
heavy  for  this  Oncidium,  but  this  can  easily  be  managed  by  placing 
the  plants  of  this  variety  in  the  lightest  position  the  house  affords. 
Light  towards  the  close  of  the 
summer  and  in  early  autumn  is  of 
vital  importance  to  mature  the 
pseudo -bulbs  that  have  been 
made. 
This  Orchid  flowers  freely  in 
a  young  small  state,  but  it  is 
surprising  bow  flowering  retards 
the  growth  and  progress  ot  the 
plants,  and  therefore  it  is  unwise 
to  allow  them  to  flower  until 
they  attain  some  strength.  The 
flower  spikes  are  a  very  long  time 
developing,  for  they  frequently 
make  their  appearance  in  spring, 
and  five  or  six  months  usually 
elapse,  under  cool  treatment, 
before  the  flowers  are  fully 
expanded. 
Vanda  teres. 
Vanda  teres  is  a  beautiful 
Orchid,  and  though  it  troubles 
some  cultivators  a  little  to  secure 
its  health  and  the  production  of 
flowers,  yet  there  are  not  so  many 
failures  now  as  there  were  a  few 
years  ago,  indeed  with  some 
growers  it  thrives  quite  luxuri¬ 
antly.  A  more  suitable  system 
of  culture  has  been  adopted,  no 
doubt  in  a  great  measure  due 
to  the  advice  of  experienced 
orchidists,  and  the  plants  are  not 
so  severely  dried  now  as  formerly. 
They  are  placed  in  a  warm,  light 
corner,  the  pots  covered  with 
sphagnum  kept  constantly  moist, 
so  that  the  growth  is  made  freely 
and  rapidly. 
The  typical  Vanda  teres  was 
found  by  Dr.  Wallich  in  Sylhet, 
where  it  was  grown  on  trees ;  it 
was  also  subsequently  found  by 
Mr.  \V.  Griffith  in  the  Burmese 
Empire,  similarly  on  trees ;  and 
by  Mr.  Gibson  near  Pondooih  at 
the  base  of  the  Khoseea  hills. 
Several  very  distinct  varieties 
have  been  obtained  from  time  to 
time,  but  one  of  the  most  notable 
is  V.  teres  Andersoni,  which  has 
large  flowers  of  a  very  rich  colour. 
The  best  example  of  this  variety 
I  have  seen  was  imported  by  a 
friend,  and  it  was  then  4  feet 
high,  as  much  in  diameter,  and  of 
globular  form.  Over  200  racemes 
had  been  counted  upon  the  plant, 
some  of  which  had  as  many  as  six  flowers  eich,  and  it  can  be 
imarined  that  it  is  literally  a  mass  of  flowers. 
In  ordinary  varieties  the  sepals  are  nearly  white,  the  petals  flushed 
with  crimson,  the  lip  bi-lobed  at  the  apex,  which  is  regularly  stmiked 
with  crimson,  yellow  in  the  centre,  with  radiating  lines  of  crimson 
dots,  and  two  large  lateral  incurving  lobes  also  veined  with  rosy 
crimson.  A  variety  appeared  some  time  a^o  that  was  nearly  white, 
and  which  has  been  named  Candida.  A  third  well-marked  variety  is 
V.  teres  Aurora.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  broad,  the  f^rmsr  white, 
the  latter  delicately  tinged  with  rose  and  twisted  in  a  more  marked 
manner  than  in  other  varieties.  The  lip  is  of  a  soft  ro-w  hue,  the 
veining  being  less  distinctly  marked  than  is  usual  in  \ .  teres. 
Orchidist. 
