October  9,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
329 
Forms  of  Orchid  Flowers. 
“  One  of  the  characters  which  especially  impresses  a  student 
of  the  great  Orchid  family,”  writes  Mr.  Lewis  Castle  in  his 
interesting  shilling  book  on  Orchids,  “  is  the  surprising  range 
of  floral  variation,  yet  within  such  definite  limits  that  an  Orchid 
flower  is  usually  easily  recognised.  In  the  majority  we  find  three 
outer  divisions — the  sepals—  and  within  these  three,  other  divisions 
alternate  with  the  sepals,  two — the  petals— being  more  or  less 
similar  to  them  in  form,  though  frequently  differing  in  colour, 
while  the  lower  one  (in  a  few  cases  this  is  uppermost) — the 
labellum  or  lip — is  strangely  metamorphosed,  sometimes  exces¬ 
sively  large,  at  others  very  small,  of  the  most  peculiar  forms, 
mimicking  insects  and  birds,  or  extraordinarily  and  indescribably 
Forms  of  Orchid  Flowers 
1.  Oncitlium  raniferum  (Frog  Orchid). 
2.  Peristeria  elata  (Spirito  Santo  of 
Panama),  the  Dove  Orchid. 
8.  Prescottia  stachyodes. 
4.  Gongora  quinquenervis. 
6.  Cirrhaea  tristis. 
6.  Cycnoches  ventricosum  (Swan  Or¬ 
chid). 
7.  Oncidium  pulvinatum. 
S.  Bolbophyllum  barbigerum. 
9.  Catasetum  viride. 
10.  Peristeria  cerina. 
grotesque.  It  is  this  which  gives  the  prevailing  character  to 
Orchid  flowers,  and  it  is  an  important  organ. 
“  In  the  centre  of  the  flower  we  find  no  stamens  or  pistil,  such 
as  we  are  familiar  with  in  other  flowers,  but  a  compound  body, 
the  column  (gynostegium),  which  faces  the  labellum,  and  bears 
on  that  surface  a  hollow  glutinous  cavity — the  stigma — and  has 
at  the  summit  a  box-like  depression,  covered  with  a  lid,  the 
anther-case  (clinandrium),  in  which  are  situated  the  pollen-masses 
(pollinia),  consisting  of  grains  of  pollen,  connected  into  various 
forms  by  a  web-like  or  glutinous  substance.  Beneath  the  flower 
is  the  ovary,  termed  from  its  position  inferior,  and  this,  when 
cut  across,  is  found  to  be  one-celled,  with  three  rows  of  seeds 
extending  down  the  inner  surface  of  the  walls.  They  are  mostly 
very  minute,  very  numerous,  and  covered  with  a  loose  skin 
(testa). 
“  These  are  the  prevailing  characters  of  the  family.  There 
are,  however,  some  exceptional  cases,  and  some  details  which  will 
be  referred  to  presently.  For  instance,  an  Orchid  flower  is 
usually  very  irregular,  owing  to  the  development  of  the  labellum  ; 
yet  in  a  few  genera,  as  the  Thelymitra,  Hexisea,  and  Paxtonia, 
the  parts  of  the  flowers  are  nearly  all  equal. 
“  In  these  the  lip  is  the  same  size  as  the  petals  and  sepals, 
and  could  scarcely  be  thought  to  be  the  same  organ  as  the  lip 
in  the  Ladies’  Slipper  (Cypripedium).  Through  these  regular 
flowered  Orchids,  Lindley  traced  the  relationship  to  the  Iris 
family,  especially  to  Sisyrinchium ;  and  we  obtain  a  chain  of 
forms,  varying  in  the  modification  their  flowers  have  undergone, 
from  these  to  the  strangest  and  most  mechanical  flowers 
imaginable.” 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes. 
The  weather  must  be  closely  watched  now,  and  the  treat¬ 
ment  of  the  various  sections  of  Orchids  varied  accordingly.  In 
dull,  wet  weather  it  is  a  mistake  to  damp  down  as  usual  the  first 
thing  in  the  morning.  Better  by  far  to  wait  until  later  in  the 
day,  while  on  some  days  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  damp  at  all. 
Anyone  who  has  had  a  little  experience  knows  by  the  feeling  on 
entering  a  house  whether  it  is  right  or  not,  and  will  damp  or 
not  accordingly.  When  a  little  fire  heat  has  been  kept  in  the 
pipes,  and  a  good  circulation  of  air  thereby  allowed,  damping 
will  be  necessary  more  frequently  than  when  no  heat  is  used. 
But  an  hour  or  two  of  drying  never  hurts  any  Orchid  at  this 
time  of  year,  while  a  too  abundant  supply  of  moisture  is  harmful 
to  many,  especially  should  the  outside  temperature  be  low,  and 
prevent  free  admission  of  fresh  air.  In  the  mildest  cases  it  leads 
to  flabby  and  weak  foliage ;  while  in  the  worst,  mould,  spot, 
and  other  attendant  diseases  difficult  to  check  are  set  up.  Those 
growers  who,  for  the  sake  of  a  little  trouble  or  a  trifling  outlay 
in  fuel,  leave  their  fire  out  entirely  at  this  time  of  year,  little 
think  wThat  a  short-sighted  policy  they  pursue,  for  without  a  little 
warmth  in  the  pipes  it  is  unreasonable  to  expect  a  proper  cir¬ 
culation  of  air. 
Cattleya  Harrisonise  is  a  lovely  plant,  but  one  very  often 
badly  treated  by  growers.  The  flowers  are  very  lasting,  and 
what  is  more  to  the  point,  are  very  freely  produced,  but  none 
the  less  even  weak  plants  are  allowed  to  carry  them  until  they 
fade,  and  this  often  in  a  draughty  conservatory  or  room  where 
the  atmosphere  is  quite  uncongenial  to  them.  A  more  weaken¬ 
ing  regime,  or  one  more  calculated  to  injure  the  plants,  can 
hardly  be  imagined,  yet  this  is  what  goes  on  in  scores  of  places 
yearly.  Were  the  flowers  removed  after  a  reasonable  time  and 
the  plants  returned  to  a  situation  where  the  atmosphere  would 
replenish  the  energies  spent  upon  flowering,  all  would  be  well. 
And  this  reminds  me  of  a  fact  often  lost  sight  of,  that  when 
Cattleyas  once  fall  into  a  really  bad  condition  they  can  never 
be  again  restored  to  health.  A  newly  imported  piece  may  come 
home  with  shrivelled  stems  owing  to  the  long  drying  it  has 
had,  and  in  the  presence  of  heat  and  moisture  will  soon  plump 
up  and  regain  strength ;  but  once  let  a  plant  that  has  been 
grown  for  years  under  glass  shrivel  up  badly  owing  to  wrong 
treatment,  and  not  the  most  skilful  of  Orchid  groovers  ^ill  in 
one  case  out  of  a  score  bring  the  plant  back  to  health.  Keep 
well  aired,  then,  is  my  advice  to  growers  of  this  useful  species, 
and  do  not  be  led,  because  of  the  lovely  show  the  plants  are 
making,  to  keep  them  at  work  too  long,  and  thereby  imperil 
their  chance  of  future  usefulness,  or  even  life. — H.  It.  R. 
The  Perennial  Lathyrus. 
So  far,  the  pure  white  form  of  Lathyrus  latifolius  has 
monopolised  the  attention  of  amateur  and  professional  alike, 
but  surely  the  deep  pink  and  delicately  blush-tinted  and  stuped 
varieties  deserve  some  attention.  It  may  not  be  generally 
known  that  varieties  embracing  so  many  shades  of  colour  exist, 
and  undoubtedly,  when  they  are  as  well  put  before  the  flower- 
loving  public  as  the  white  Lathyrus  latifolius  has  been,  they 
will  attain  as  great  a  meed  of  praise.  . 
To  ensure  good  results  they  require  generous  cultivation,  and 
to  have  them  in  really  fine  form  will  amply  repay  for  indoor 
culture.  When  this  can  be  afforded,  crops  of  flowers  may  be 
obtained  some  six  weeks  before  their  wealth  of  bloom  enlivens 
the  gardens.  If  planted  indoors,  the  back  wall  of  a  cool  green¬ 
house  suits  them  admirably.  A  good  trench  to  the  depth  of  3ft. 
should  be  taken  out,  the  bottom  deeply  broken  up  with  a  fork, 
and  the  trench  refilled  with  a  compost  of  good  loam,  a  sprinkling 
of  jfin  bones,  with  a  liberal  addition  of  charred  garden  refuse. 
Vio-orous  syringing  with  soot  water  will  keep  in  check  the  trouble¬ 
some  red  spider.  Copious  douchings  overhead  with  weak  liquid 
manure  during  active  growth  not  only  help  to  keep  this  in 
check,  but  assist  the  plants  considerably. 
Like  its  blood  relation,  the  Sweet  Pea,  the  season  of  flowering 
may  be  prolonged  by  keeping  the  seed  pods  removed  and  I  have 
found  a  slight  rest  and  pruning  helpful  in  stimulating  fresh 
growth,  with  the  invariable  sequence  of  a  good  crop  of  usetut 
flowers  in  the  late  autumn.  ,  , 
The  plants  can  be  increased  by  cuttings  taken  near  the  base, 
