Epiphytal. Pseudobulbs oblong, somewhat furrowed, three inches long, diphyllous. Leaves ligulate, acute, tapered and channelled towards the base, of a pale green colour. Scape radical, slender, arching. Flowers racemed or panicled, stellate, three inches in breadth, highly coloured, and showy in character, the yellow centre being very conspicuous; sepals lanceolate, attenuately not suddenly acuminate, recurved and wavy at the edge, the dorsal two inches, the lateral ones about an inch and three quarters long, white, yellow towards the tip, with dark chocolate blotches, which almost cover the surface leaving only a few broken bars near the base and a patch at the apex; petals spreading at the extreme base, then incurved, and finally having the tips recurved, ovate-lanceolate attenuately acuminate, the basal part white with irregular spots and small blotches of chocolate brown, with a larger spot about midway, exterior to which the petal is sometimes spotless and sometimes marked with two or three spots; lip having its basal portion parallel with the column, then turned down at a right angle, panduriform with a recurved cuspidate apex; at the angle is a spreading fringe of many (about eight) projecting processes, the two front ones continuous with the crest along the basal portion of the lip, yellow with chocolate tips, and three shorter ones yellow with a chocolate stripe; behind these are five reddish chocolate stripes which appear like continuations of the teeth; hinder portion about half an inch broad, pale yellow blotched with brown at the edge but strongly recurved, succeeding which is a restricted part wholly covered by a rich brown spot, after which the lip widens and passes into a recurved cuspidate apex, which is white with one or two chocolate blotches. Column half an inch long, clavate, with two subulate horns, white spotted with chocolate, the stigmatic hollow and its margins stained with chocolate purple.
Odontoglossum elegans, Reichenbach fil., Gardeners’ Chronicle, N.S., xi., 462.
The subject of our present portrait is a most beautiful and distinct Odontoglot, and one with which we believe our subscribers will be glad to become acquainted. It is an extremely rare plant, and the only specimen we have seen, was imported with a lot of Odontoglossum cirrhosum. It is doubtless a natural hybrid, of which that species is one of the parents, as it resembles it both in the shape of its flowers and growth. This plant was exhibited by H. M. Pollett, Esq., Bickley, Kent, before the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, from whom it received the highest honours. It has bloomed in this well-known collection for two successive years, the flowers very much finer and the growth stronger on the last occasion. It is an astonishing trait in the character of this Odontoglot, that the stronger the plants become the finer are the flowers, that is, provided they have a proper house and proper treatment. Mr. Pollett has some small span-roofed houses in which the plants seem to enjoy their position, as they are thriving well under his gardener’s care.
Odontoglossum elegans is an evergreen species of compact growth, with light green foliage about ten inches in height. The pseudobulbs grow about three inches high. The sepals and petals are cream-coloured, tipped with yellow and irregularly blotched and barred with chestnut brown; the lip is long and similar in form to that of O. cirrhosum, having a large golden yellow crest. It blooms during the spring months, and lasts in beauty for several weeks, its drooping spikes producing more flowers than are shown in our drawing, as our artist was not able to show the full spike in his representation, from its being too long. This particular plant has been distinguished as Pollett’s variety, an unwieldy form of naming which we prefer not to adopt.
The plant requires the same cultivation and treatment as Odontoglossum Alexandræ and others of that class, of which we have given full particulars in our first volume, under [Plate 47].
Vanda Sanderiana.—It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce the flowering of this magnificent novelty, in the collection of W. Lee, Esq., Downside, Leatherhead, where it may now (September) be seen, bearing three spikes of its gorgeous flowers. One spike bears twelve flowers, and another eight. If the reader will imagine a dozen of these lovely blossoms, each from four to four and a half inches in diameter, collected together on one spike, he may form some idea of the magnificence of this grand novelty. In growth the plant resembles a gigantic V. cœrulea, but having much broader and longer leaves, and stouter stems and flower-spikes than that species. The spikes are produced from the axils of the leaves in an erect position. The leaves are from nine to twelve inches long, and about an inch broad, deeply channelled. The flowers are fully four inches in diameter; the upper sepal and the two petals are nearly of one size and of a blush-pink, about the colour of a pale variety of Odontoglossum vexillarium; the lower sepals are much larger and broader than the petals, two inches across, tawny yellow distinctly and beautifully reticulated with dull crimson over the entire surface; the lip is dull brownish crimson, and has three keels along the centre extending from the apex to the base. The contrast of the crimson markings on the yellow sepals renders this new Vanda one of the most distinct species we have ever seen. We have had a sketch of this plant prepared, and it will shortly be presented to our readers.—H. W.
PL. 112. CATTLEYA SKINNERI ALBA.