Epiphytal. Stems oblong, club-shaped, furrowed in age, and invested in the lower part by whitish membranaceous sheaths. Leaves leathery, ligulate-oblong obtuse, recurved at the tip, deep green. Scape about two-flowered, issuing from the broad compressed leafy sheath, both scape and pedicels tinted with reddish purple. Flowers large, exceedingly attractive from their peculiar striate coloration, the colours very irregularly distributed, no two corresponding parts being alike in marking; sepals lanceolate, slightly recurved, purplish blush, or very dilute lilac-purple, irregularly and striately blotched in the direction of the veins with rich magenta-purple; petals broad, ovate, undulated, irregularly striate-blotched with magenta-purple on the very dilute lilac-purple ground, in the same way as the sepals; lip obovate, emarginate, with a densely frilled edge, the basal lobes enfolding the column of a deep rosy magenta on the outer surface, the middle lobe with a golden blotch on the throat and disk, the front portion striately marked with rich deep magenta-purple outside which is an irregular zone of white, more or less traversed by pale purple veins, the extreme margin being pale purple; otherwise as in the type.
Cattleya Mossiæ Hardyana, Williams and Moore, supra.
This is the most extraordinary variety of Cattleya Mossiæ that has ever come under our notice, and, moreover, it is not only most distinct but most beautiful. Its peculiar coloration is constant, for we have received flowers of it in two successive seasons, and the colour and style of marking have not appeared to vary in the least. We believe it has bloomed three years in succession. Our figure was taken from the fine plant in the noble collection of G. Hardy, Esq., Timperley, Cheshire. This plant we believe is unique, there having been only one example with striped flowers obtained from the whole importation, and that was secured and first flowered by Mr. Hardy, in whose honour it is now named. We know of no other like it, and we must congratulate the owner on his good fortune in obtaining and blooming a variety with such wonderfully variegated flowers.
There are many other fine species of Cattleya in this collection, and these bloom magnificently, and are grown to great perfection. They are cultivated in good-sized houses, and have plenty of light, which is a great necessity to these plants, and they also get the proper degree of heat and of moisture, and the annual rest, together with perfect cleanliness, all which seems to be thoroughly understood by Mr. Hill, the gardener, for the plants appear in the same vigorous state of health year after year, and still go on improving.
Cattleya Mossiæ Hardyana is like the type in its habit of growth, having similar evergreen foliage, and producing its gorgeous flowers in the some way. The sepals and petals are of a pale blush-rose colour, curiously blotched and veined with rose-purple, while the lip is a bright rose-purple, margined with dark rose, and the throat orange-yellow. It blooms during May and June, and lasts about three weeks in perfection.
The plant requires the same mode of treatment as that given to the other forms of Cattleya Mossiæ.
Orchids in Vineries.—We frequently hear it remarked that Orchids cannot be cultivated in this or that garden for want of a suitable house or houses to grow them in. Now, we have repeatedly alluded to the fact that Orchids do well when cultivated in houses in which other classes of plants besides them are grown. We met with a convincing illustration of this in November last, when calling upon John Heywood, Esq., of the Grange, Stretford, near Manchester. Here we found houses allotted to Orchids, and amongst them one cool plant-house in which there were many fine Odontoglots, and some good specimens of Epidendrum vitellinum majus, &c. We, however, wish chiefly to draw attention to the fact, that we also found here two span-roofed Vineries, in which there were good crops of Grapes, such as Muscat, Black Alicante, and others; and beneath these Vines, standing on the curbs, or suspended from the roof, was growing a collection of Dendrobiums, occupying the whole length of the two houses, and among them many fine specimen plants, with well ripened bulbs, and which promise well for bloom. We particularly noted many well-grown plants of D. Wardianum giganteum, D. Devonianum with very strong bulbs, and D. crassinode. There was a fine plant of D. Ainsworthii, which is still rare, and is one of the best hybrids yet raised, as it bears fine handsome flowers, and is free in producing them. D. thyrsiflorum and D. densiflorum were also well represented; and there were fine plants of D. nobile, one of the most useful for winter decoration, promising well for bloom. Mr. Elphinstone, the gardener, informed us that these plants had been grown in the same houses for some time past; and they are found to succeed well with the treatment given to the Vines. Any one, therefore, having good Vineries may use them for Orchids as well as for Grapes, as they are at the Grange, thus making a double use of the houses, and saving expense. Besides the cool Orchid house already mentioned, there is a good house of Cattleyas, Lælias, &c.; and another full of fine Vandas, and such other Orchids as Phalænopsis, Aërides, Cypripedium, Odontoglossum vexillarium, and many others that require a similar temperature.—B. S. W.
PL. 126. WARSCEWICZELLA WENDLANDII DISCOLOR.