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Plate II.
ODONTOGLOSSUM URO-SKINNERI, Lindl

MR. SKINNER'S ODONTOGLOSSUM

O. (Leucoglossum, Lindl.) pseudobulbis ovato-oblongis ancipitibus compressis guttulatis 1-2-phyllis, foliis oblongis acuminatis scapo multifloro simplici vel subpaniculato multo brevioribus, bracteis membranaceis cymbiformibus acuminatis ovario 3-plo brevioribus, petalis sepalisque subæqualibus late-ovatis acuminatis, labelli ungue bilamellato limbo cordato maculato acuminato undulato, columnæ alis ovatis deflexis.

Odontoglossum Uro-skinneri, Gardeners' Chronicle, vol. 1859, pp. 708, 724.

Habitat in Guatemala, prope Santa Catarina de los Altos, 5-6000 ft., Skinner.

DESCRIPTION

Pseudobulbs 3 or 4 inches long by nearly as many wide, much flattened, and very sharp at the edges, always powdered with minute brown dots, which do not appear until the second year. Leaves oblong, broad, and stiff, acuminate at their extremities, much shorter than the scape. Scape generally simple, but sometimes slightly panicled, about a yard high, and bearing from 10 to 20 agreeably scented Flowers. Bracts of a delicate texture, boat-shaped, scarcely more than one-third the length of the ovary. Sepals and Petals nearly equal, broadly ovate, about an inch long, of a green colour, covered with rich reddish-brown spots. Lip broad and spreading, heart-shaped, acuminate, and turned inwards at the apex, its disk white, but covered with round blue spots, which cease at the foot of the isthmus (claw), where two upright and nearly parallel lamellæ (plates) are stationed. Column furnished with ovate, decurved, round-headed wings.

This is a robust and stately plant, nearly allied to O. Bictoniense to which at one time Dr. Lindley was disposed to refer it, but far larger and handsomer in all its parts. Its broad pseudobulbs which become covered in their second year with a multitude of small reddish dots, its wide sepals and petals, the spotting of its lip, and its general resemblance to Zygopetalum Mackaii will, however, sufficiently distinguish it. Being found at a higher elevation than O. Bictoniense, it requires to be kept more cool, and as it affects dark and wet banks in its native wilds, it is better to place it in a north house where it can be more readily protected from the sun. Treated in this way it grows luxuriantly and flowers abundantly at Knypersley, whence the specimen figured in the Plate was derived. Its flowering season seems to vary, for while with me it is now (May) coming into bloom, about London November is the more usual month.

O. Uro-Skinneri was the latest discovery of my indefatigable friend Mr. Skinner (after whom it was named by Dr. Lindley), and who, though now settled in England, is as much devoted to his favourite tribe as when, while resident in Guatemala, he was wont to delight the Orchidists of Europe by the multitude of new and beautiful plants that he was constantly dispatching across the main.

Dissection. – 1. Side view of lip and column: magnified.

Plate III.
ODONTOGLOSSUM PHALÆNOPSIS, Rchb. fil

MOTH-LIKE ODONTOGLOSSUM

O. (Leucoglossum, Lindl.) pseudobulbis ovatis obtuse ancipitibus 1-2-phyllis, foliis linearibus acutissimis racemis bi- vel trifloris spithamæis longioribus, sepalis oblongo-ligulatis acutis, petalis latioribus obovatis obtusis; labelli ampli pandurati emarginati bilamelligeri disco velutino, columnæ alis abbreviatis membranaceis.

Odontoglossum phalænopsis, Rchb. fil. in Seemann Bonplandia, ii. 278; Pescatorea, Linden et Rchb. fil. ii. 44.

Miltonia Pulchella, Hort.

Habitat in N. Granada, prope Aspasica, alt. 5-6000 ft., Schlim.

DESCRIPTION

Terrestrial. Pseudobulbs nearly two inches long, ovate, bearing one, or more frequently two, narrow linear, very acute Leaves, less than a foot long, and usually withered at the extremities. Raceme nodding, shorter than the leaves, furnished with a few small acute Bracts, and bearing two, or occasionally three, very large and handsome flowers, which, the markings of the lip excepted, are of a uniform white. Sepals oblong, sharp-pointed, about an inch long. Petals broader than the sepals, obtuse. Lip fiddle-shaped, its front portion deeply emarginate, spread out nearly flat, very broad, its side portions much smaller, rounded, and with two continuous upright lamellæ on its velvety disk; the lip has two large irregular pale-crimson blotches on its anterior portion, with concentric lines of the same colour on its lower portion, with a small patch of yellow on either side the isthmus (i.e. point of junction between the upper and lower divisions of the lip). Column short, with membranous wings much abbreviated.

This most charming Odontoglossum was discovered in the year 1850 by M. Schlim at that time engaged in exploring the higher regions of New Granada in the service of M. Linden to whose well-known horticultural establishment at Brussels he had the honour of introducing it. The species was seen in flower for the first time in the year 1856 when it appeared at some Horticultural Exhibitions both on the Continent and in London and, as may readily be conceived, attracted universal admiration. Since that time its lovely blossoms have been rarely produced, owing no doubt to its cultivation having been imperfectly understood. It has however, I believe, bloomed occasionally in the collection of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and more recently in that of E. M‘Morland, Esq., of Haverstock Hill, with whom it thrives amazingly, and to whose kindness I am indebted for the opportunity of figuring it. In its native country it is found in a mild climate growing on the ground, or upon rocks in moist and shady situations, and by simply imitating these conditions Mr. M‘Morland cultivates it with the most perfect success. His plants are kept in pots, with living moss on the surface, and their base resting in pans of water the evaporation from which cannot fail to be highly beneficial. The temperature of the house in which they are grown is that of an ordinary greenhouse, but the air is always humid, and water is freely given because, in consequence of the open potting, it can pass as freely away. The plants seem to grow and flower almost all the year round, though their proper and principal flowering-season is in May and June.

O. phalænopsis is entirely distinct from any species of the genus yet in cultivation, but it is allied to a still finer plant detected by Warszewicz in Costa Rica, and called in honour of its discoverer O. Warszewiczii by Professor Reichenbach.

Dissections. – 1. Lip. seen sideways; and 2. Front view of lip: both magnified.

Plate IV.
ODONTOGLOSSUM INSLEAYI, Lindl

INSLEAY'S ODONTOGLOSSUM

O. (Euodontoglossum, Lindl.) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis diphyllis, foliis coriaceis oblongo-ensiformibus subundulatis apice recurvis racemo 5-10-floro erecto rigido brevioribus, sepalis petalisque oblongis subæqualibus undulatis infimis connatis, labello angusto obovato retuso basi auriculato, disci cristâ apice bilobâ dilatatâ utrinque in medio dente refracto auctâ, columnæ alis incurvis cirrhatis. (Lindl. Fol. Orch.)

Oncidium Insleayi, Barker in Bot. Reg. 1840, Misc. 21; Bateman, Orchid. Mex. et Guat. t. 21; Van Houtte, Flore des Serres, 1848, t. 62.

Habitat in Mexico, Barker; Oaxaca, Loddiges; 5-6000 ft.

DESCRIPTION

Pseudobulbs ovate, slightly furrowed, compressed, bearing 2 leathery, sword-shaped, sharp-pointed Leaves, which are less than a foot long, and like the rest of the plant of a glaucous hue. Scape upright, longer than the leaves, bearing from 5 to 10 flowers, usually from 2 to 3 inches in diameter, but sometimes considerably more. Bracts few, about an inch long, occurring at intervals somewhat longer than themselves, and fitting tightly to the stem. Sepals and Petals nearly equal, oblong, waved, the two lateral ones attached at their base, of a pale yellowish-green tint, crossed throughout their entire length by broad bands of reddish-brown. Lip narrow, obovate, turned a little back, of a bright yellow colour, bordered by a belt of red blotches; on its disk are a group of tubercles, mounting two teeth on either side, and with cleft callus in front. Column-wings bent inwards, and resembling in form the antennæ of an insect.

This Odontoglossum was originally introduced from Mexico by the late Mr. Barker, of Birmingham, after whose gardener it was named by Dr. Lindley. It flowered with Mr. Barker somewhere about the year 1840, when a figure was prepared for the 'Orchidaceæ of Mexico and Guatemala,' but I had not then the opportunity of examining the plant, nor indeed did I ever actually see it in flower until the autumn of last year (1863) when I happened to meet with the specimen from which the illustration is derived, growing and blooming vigorously in the collection of Dr. Cauty, of Liverpool. The species had, in fact, virtually disappeared from collections during an interregnum of twenty years, and its reappearance is entirely due to the adoption of the rational system of cool treatment now happily prevailing, and under which it may be cultivated with the greatest ease.

In habit O. Insleayi is quite indistinguishable from O. grande; and although its flowers are far inferior in beauty to those of that glorious species, they bear a certain sort of resemblance to them in their colouring and general arrangement. The structure is however entirely different, for while O. grande has no bristle-like appendages to its column, and therefore belongs to the section of the genus which has been called Xanthoglossum by Dr. Lindley, the processes in question are clearly present (see Dissections) in the case of O. Insleayi, thereby bringing it under the preceding section, to which the title of Euodontoglossum has been given by the same authority. The time and mode of flowering are also different in the two plants, for while in O. grande the flower-scapes appear almost simultaneously with the leaves, and are usually in perfection in July, those of O. Insleayi are not produced until long after the pseudobulbs have been matured, nor do they expand their blossoms until late in the autumn.

As is the case with most of its congeners, there are many varieties of O. Insleayi, some of which are much less attractive in their colouring than the one represented in the Plate, while others have much larger flowers, as in the example given in the vignette which is copied from an old woodcut in the Journal of the Horticultural Society. Unfortunately this latter variety has, I greatly fear, been lost to the country, but collectors should endeavour to reintroduce it.

I have already referred to Dr. Cauty's success in the treatment of the subject of the present Plate, but his skill and care are equally conspicuous in the management of a miscellaneous collection of Orchids, which he contrives to grow under circumstances such as would have deterred most men from attempting to grow any plants at all. The house in which he lives is in the very centre of Liverpool, and has in its rear a small back court, such as is usually devoted to dustbins and coal-holes, but where Dr. Cauty has found space for three little Orchid-houses of different temperatures in which the Orchids of different climes are perfectly at home. I can really see no reason why in all large towns – in London more especially – Dr. Cauty's example should not be extensively followed, and the luxury of an Orchid-house be thus brought within the reach of many who now consider it quite beyond their grasp.

Dissections. – 1. Lip, seen sideways; 2. Ditto, seen in front: both magnified.

Plate V.
ODONTOGLOSSUM PESCATOREI, Lindley

M. PESCATORE'S ODONTOGLOSSUM

O. (Isanthium, Lindl.) pseudobulbis ovatis lævigatis nebulosis diphyllis, foliis loratis planis basi angustatis paniculâ amplâ erectâ multiflorâ 3-plo brevioribus, bracteis minutis, floribus membranaceis, sepalis ovato-oblongis apiculatis leviter undulatis, petalis conformibus latioribus, labello cuspidato subpandurato basi denticulato, cristæ lamellis lateralibus distantibus cartilagineis laceris lineis duabus divergentibus apice denticulatis interjectis, columnæ brevis alis brevibus cuneatis laceris. (Lindl. Fol. Orch., quibusdam mutatis.)

Odontoglossum Pescatorei, Lindley, in Paxton's Flower Garden, iii. t. 90; Pescatorea, t. 1; Warner's Select Orchidaceous Plants, t. 25.

Odontoglossum Nobile, Reichenbach fil. in Linnæa, 22, 850.

Habitat in New Granada, Province of Pamplona, at the height of from 5000 to 6000 feet, Funck and Schlim.

DESCRIPTION

Pseudobulbs from 2 to 3 inches long, of an ovate form, glossy, and mottled with dark brown, usually bearing 2 lorate Leaves, which are from 6 inches to a foot long, narrowed at the base and sharp at the end, much shorter than the tall upright branched Panicle, which sometimes rises to the height of 3 feet, and bears from 6 to 60 membranous Flowers of a peculiarly delicate texture. Bracts very small. Sepals ovate-oblong, apiculate, slightly waved at the edges, an inch long, white with streaks of rose-colour. Petals similar in form and texture to the sepals, but broader and more curled at the edges, of the purest white. Lip inclining to fiddle-shape, pointed, but with the point invisible when looked at in front; towards the base are two short upright tubercles that pass forward into plates diverging from each other, and toothed in front. On either side are two pseudo-wings, irregularly indented, and, like the plates, of a beautiful gold colour, streaked with red. The rest of the lip is white, with the exception of a few irregular blotches of crimson, the number and size and disposition of which vary considerably in different individuals. Column short, with short wedge-shaped Wings, a little indented at the edges.

This lovely plant was discovered in the year 1847 by MM. Funck and Schlim when on a botanical mission to New Granada, in the service of M. Linden. According to its discoverers, it is not unfrequently met with in the provinces of Pamplona and Ocaña, at an elevation above the sea-level of about 5000 feet, inhabiting the oak forests which – where the climate is mild – clothe the eastern slopes of the glorious Cordillera.

O. Pescatorei flowered with M. Linden for the first time in 1851, and attracted, as well it might, universal admiration. Nothing indeed, even in the beautiful family to which it belongs, can surpass the delicacy of its blossoms, with their charming mixture of rose and white, relieved by a few deep-crimson stains scattered irregularly over the lip. Its habit too is good, and its stately panicle of flowers well-proportioned to the size of the bulbs and leaves. It blooms abundantly in the spring months, and its blossoms continue at least six weeks in perfection. We need not wonder that a plant with such a rare combination of good qualities should have been selected by M. Linden to do honour to his patron the late M. Pescatore, after whom he named it, and in whose sumptuous work ('Pescatorea') it forms the first plate.

Although the species, owing to the difficulty of importing it alive, is still exceedingly rare in this country, it has already flowered in many of the principal collections, especially in those of Mr. Rucker, Mr. Basset, Mr. Day, and Mr. Dawson, of Meadow Bank near Edinburgh. With the last-named gentleman a panicle, with sixty flowers upon it, is now (April, 1864) in full beauty. Mr. Fitch's drawing was taken from an exquisite variety, of which Mr. Day is the fortunate possessor, and which he kindly placed at my disposal for the purpose of being figured in this Work. In the Plate the flower-spike is represented as panicled because such – as in the case of all the other varieties – is no doubt its normal state; as yet however racemes only have been produced.

The treatment recommended for other Odontoglossa (see under Plate I.) will suit O. Pescatorei, which is as easily managed as any of the genus.

Dissections. – 1. Lip, seen sideways; 2. Lip, front view: magnified.