Our plate was prepared from a plant which bloomed in the fine collection of Mons. D. Massange, of Marche, in Belgium, under the care of Mr. Wilcke, who is one of the most successful continental growers of Orchids. We had the pleasure of seeing specimens from M. Massange’s grand collection, exhibited at the great show held at Brussels in July, 1880.
Zygopetalum Gautieri is a dwarf growing kind, attaining a height of about twelve inches, and is provided with distinct plaited green foliage. The flowers are large, and borne several together on the spikes; the sepals and petals are green, blotched with purplish brown, while the lip is of purplish blue, edged with a lighter tint of the same colour.
There are several varieties of this species, varying from very pale violet to a rich purplish blue, the variety here figured being one of the darkest-coloured forms we have yet met with. The flowers are particularly showy, and last a long time in perfection.
It is of easy cultivation, and not only free-growing but also free-blooming. It does well in the Cattleya house, planted in peat and moss, with good drainage, and it may be grown either in a pot or a basket, or on a block of wood, or on the stem of a tree fern, on which latter it is frequently imported from its native country. In its wild state, it appears naturally to creep up these fern stems, and it must look very beautiful growing in this way, since its drooping spikes cannot fail to have a good effect when thus seen hanging among the green foliage. It requires a good supply of water during the growing season, but, when at rest, less will suffice. The plant needs plenty of light, but it must be shaded from the fierce sun-rays during the summer months.
Lælia anceps Dawsoni.—One of the best specimens we have had the pleasure of seeing of L. anceps Dawsoni is in the collection of R. S. Dodgson, Esq., Blackburn; it had four spikes of buds when we saw it in November last; since then we have received a spike of three flowers, and a very fine variety it is. Mr. Osman informs us that the plant has ten expanded blossoms. It is one of the best plants and as good a variety as we have met with; the sepals and petals are large, pure white, and of great substance; the lip is bright rosy purple edged with white, the throat orange, veined with purple. No doubt there are different varieties in cultivation which were imported along with this some years ago. Mr. Dodgson’s plant is grown suspended from the roof, and from its appearance this seems to be the best method of growing it to perfection. It likes plenty of light all the year round, and should be just kept shaded from the burning sun.
PL. 29. CŒLOGYNE MASSANGEANA.
CŒLOGYNE MASSANGEANA.
[[Plate 29].]
Native of Assam.
Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs pyriform, three to four inches in height, smooth, bearing two leaves at the apex. Leaves persistent, cuneate-oblong, acute, stalked, somewhat plicate, a foot and a half high including the stalk, and four inches broad. Peduncle pendulous, produced from the base of the pseudobulbs, one and a half to two feet long, nigro-asperate; bracts cuneate-oblong obtuse, much shorter than the pedicels. Flowers showy, in loose racemes of two dozen or more, yellow with a brown lip; sepals ligulate obtuse, somewhat keeled outside, light ochre-yellow; petals linear-ligulate, of the same colour as the sepals; lip three-lobed, concave, the side lobes semi-ovate, acute in front, of a beautiful maroon-brown with ochre-coloured veins, the middle lobe creamy white at the edge, with a large brown disk, short, transversely oval with an apiculus, and having three light yellow rather prominent toothletted keels extending from the base to the anterior lobe, and “six confluent rows of green retuse many-angled cells, reminding one of human molar teeth” in front of them. Column light ochre-yellow, streaked with brown, winged in front, the anther-bed with a retuse membranous border.
Cœlogyne Massangeana, Reichenbach fil., in Gardeners’ Chronicle, N.S., x., 684; Floral Magazine, 2 ser., t. 373.