A Monograph of Odontoglossum

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

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

1

The mention of the illustrious traveller's name reminds me of the obligations under which he laid me when I first visited Berlin, in the spring of 1836; for, young as I was, he deigned to pour into my delighted ears all the stores of Orchid-lore collected during his memorable wanderings among the Andes of New Grenada and Peru. Here, he said, the greatest store of beauteous Orchids was to be found, and we are now beginning to realize the truth of his remark.

2

Cool Orchids from the interior of South America, have either to be carried across the Andes, where the intense cold of the passes is often fatal to them, or to be conveyed by a tedious voyage down the great rivers, where the heat is greater than their constitution – often delicate – can endure. In this way whole importations have been lost, including, I am sorry to say, one or two cargoes of the exquisite Odontoglossum Warczewitzii (figured in Reichenbach's "Xenia") which still unhappily remains a desideratum.

3

As most of the Odontoglossa require to be treated in the same way, I transcribe, from the 'Guide to Cool-Orchid Growing' (Reeve, 1864), the following instructions for the culture of the genus: – "They will all succeed perfectly in a low lean-to house facing the north, the mean temperature of which need not exceed 60°. They should stand on a shelf of slate or stone, near the glass, but should always be protected from the direct rays of the sun. Constant humidity should be maintained by damping the shelves and floors, but the plants themselves will only require water in moderation, and what is given to them should pass away freely, for if it stagnates, or if the compost in which they grow becomes sodden, the roots will immediately decay. A gentle evaporation is greatly assisted by placing layers of moss – to be kept damp of course – on the shelves whereon the plants stand. Odontoglossa cannot endure wooden blocks, but will thrive in a compost of which one-half consists of small broken potsherds, the remainder being a mixture of shredded sphagnum (dusted with fine sand) and fibrous peat. About one-third of the entire depth of the pots may be filled with this mixture, the other two-thirds containing nothing but large pieces of broken pots, so as to admit as much air as possible to the roots. The pots in which the plants are grown should stand on other pots (inverted) placed in saucers of water, in order to secure humidity and protect them from wood-lice. Nearly all the species flower during the winter or spring months, a circumstance that greatly enhances their value. Many, e. g. O. pulchellum, are deliciously fragrant, and the flowers of nearly all the species remain in perfection for weeks, whether left on the plants or cut for bouquets. In so vast a genus we shall, no doubt, meet with many idiosyncrasies, but nine-tenths of the species will flourish under the treatment indicated above, and which may be regarded as suitable to the majority of cool Orchids. Most Odontoglossa are, like the Masdevallias, very impatient of the knife, and cannot therefore be rapidly multiplied. They have also a peculiar aversion to fumigation by tobacco, which causes their leaves to fall off."