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 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.

Plate VI.

ODONTOGLOSSUM PENDULUM

PENDENT-FLOWERED ODONTOGLOSSUM

O. (Trymenium) pseudobulbis subrotundis compressis lævibus diphyllis, foliis oblongo-ligulatis obtusis racemo pendulo multifloro paulo brevioribus, sepalis oblongis obtusis petalisque conformibus subæqualibus, labello unguiculato reniformi basi excavato marginibus callosis, clinandrii alis lateralibus subtruncatis dorsalique rotundato denticulatis.

Odontoglossum citrosmum, Lindl. Bot. Reg. 1842, Misc. 68; 1843, t. 3; Fol. Orch. n. 59; Warner's Select Orchidaceous Plants, t. 28; Lemaire, Jard. Fl. t. 90.

Cuitlauzina pendula, La Llace et Lexarza, Orch. Mex. 2; Reichenbach, fil., Bonplandia, iii. 15, 16.

Habitat in Mexico, Lexarza, Karwinski, Barker.

DESCRIPTION

Pseudobulbs clustered together, 2 to 4 inches long, compressed, ovate or almost round, smooth and glossy, 2-leaved. Leaves 6 inches to a foot long, leathery, oblong-ligulate, obtuse, rather shorter than the raceme. Raceme issuing at an early stage from the young growth, pendulous, many-flowered, rarely branched, longer than the leaves. Sepals and Petals similar in form, pure white, or in some varieties of a faint blush or rose-colour, frequently sprinkled with minute red dots, oblong, obtuse, about an inch long. Lip unguiculate, kidney-shaped, channelled (with the solid edges turned up) along its base, on which there is a patch of yellow, with a few bright dots in the position where a crest (here entirely wanting) is usually placed; the colour of the disk of the lip varies in different specimens, being sometimes entirely white and sometimes tipped with faint rose-colour or deep-crimson. Column with upper and lower wings (all of which are toothed), that on the back being rounded and the others truncated.

Early in the present century, two Spaniards – La Llave and Lexarza by name – settled at the Mexican town of Valladolid, in the fertile province of Mechoacan. They were both attached to botany, but the younger of the two, Lexarza, was so attracted by the beauty of the numerous Orchids of the district that to these he devoted himself with an ardour that would have done honour even to the Lindleys and Reichenbachs of our own day. As the result of his labours a little work – 'Orchidianum Opusculum' he modestly styled it – presently made its appearance, wherein about fifty species, all at that time new to science, were described with remarkable accuracy and skill. Among the number there was a plant, —Cuitlauzina pendula he called it, – said to be of surpassing loveliness and to form an undoubtedly new genus the distinctive characters of which were minutely given. As time went on and the rage for Orchids developed itself in Europe, a keen desire was naturally felt by cultivators to add so fine a plant to their lists; but although many collectors visited Valladolid and laid hands upon nearly all the other desirable Orchids described by Lexarza, still nothing was heard of the Cuitlauzina, and on the cover of the latest number of Dr. Lindley's 'Folia Orchidacea' its name may be found in the list of genera "unknown to the author." About the same time I myself addressed a letter to the 'Gardeners' Chronicle' urging some adventurous traveller to take ship for New Spain, mainly with the object of instituting another search for the tantalizing plant that had hitherto eluded our grasp. Yet all this while Cuitlauzina pendula was amongst us, and indeed had been an established favourite for upwards of twenty years! But if so, it may well be asked, how came it to pass that it was never recognized? For a full reply to this very natural inquiry I must refer the reader to a most ingenious article in 'Bonplandia' (Jahrg. iii. No. 15, 16), by the younger Reichenbach, to whom all the credit is due of having solved a great botanical puzzle, and proved to demonstration that the Cuitlauzina pendula of Lexarza is none other than the Odontoglossum citrosmum of Lindley.4

Under these circumstances, however undesirable the meddling with established names, I scarcely see how, in common justice to Lexarza, we can do otherwise than adopt his specific name of pendula, more especially as it happens that the plant to which he originally gave it remains to this day the only one out of nearly a hundred Odontoglossa that has flower-stems which are strictly pendulous.

Our gardens contain many varieties of O. pendulum, of which, though all are beautiful, some are far superior to others. That represented in the Plate, and which forms a part of Mr. Rucker's collection, is among the best. Mr. Rucker keeps it in his coolest house, where it is perfectly at home, and produces a profusion of its lovely drooping racemes in May and June. It should always be grown in a pot.

Dissections. – 1. Front view of lip and column; 2. Side view of ditto: magnified.

Plate VII.

ODONTOGLOSSUM HASTILABIUM, Lindley

HALBERT-LIPPED ODONTOGLOSSUM

O. (Isanthium, Lindl.) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis 1-2-phyllis, foliis oblongis coriaceis, paniculæ exaltatæ ramis spicatis, bracteis cymbiformibus acuminatis ovario æqualibus, sepalis petalisque lineari-lanceolatis acuminatis undulatis, labello apice subrotundo-ovato acuto basi auriculis acutis lanceolatis porrectis aucto, lamellis 5 elevatis, columnæ alis obsolete undulatis, margine versus basin membranaceo dilatato.

Odontoglossum hastilabium, Lindley, Orchid. Linden. n. 84; Hooker, Bot. Mag. t. 4272; Pescatorea, t. 11.

Habitat in Nov. Granada: Tesqua, in the province of Pamplona, at the elevation of 2500 feet, April, Linden; on the road from Santa Martha to the Sierra Nevada, Purdie; Ocaña, January, 5-6000 feet, Schlim, Wagener, Blunt.

DESCRIPTION

Pseudobulbs compressed, ovate, 3 to 6 inches long, bearing 1 or 2 oblong, leathery Leaves, not more than a third the length of the scape. Bracts boat-shaped, acuminate, equal in length to the ovary. Scape very robust, from 2 to 6 feet high, panicled, bearing from 20 to 100 flowers. Sepals and Petals 1½ to 2 inches long, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, slightly waved at the margin, of a pale-green, barred with numerous lines of dark-red or purple. Lip halbert-shaped, purple at the base, but white in its upper portion, which is of a roundish-ovate form, pointed at the extremity; its crest consists of 2 outer and 2 interior plates, the taller stretching forward beyond the former, with a linear-oval callosity in the centre. Column expanding at its base on either side into an inflexed membrane.

As this stately Odontoglossum is met with at a much lower elevation than any of its congeners, it is constitutionally less impatient of heat, and has therefore been able to accommodate itself to artificial conditions under which others of its race in former years have pined and died. But although in some parts of New Granada it descends as low as 2500 feet, its more frequent range is 2000 feet higher up the mountains, and it is in such situations that it attains its greatest luxuriance and beauty. Some imported specimens that I was fortunate enough to see last year (1864) at the Clapton Nursery, whither they had been sent by Mr. Blunt, had flower-stems half an inch thick and fully 6 feet high. These were gathered at an elevation of at least 4000 feet above the sea-level and, as they arrived in excellent condition and have been extensively distributed, I have little doubt we shall ere long see cultivated specimens that may vie with the wild ones in stature and magnificence. Its flowering season is the spring or early summer.

The figure was taken in May last from a plant in Mr. Rucker's collection where it is grown at the coolest end of the Cattleya-house.

Dissection. – 1. Front view of lip and column; 2. Side view of ditto: magnified.

Plate VIII.

ODONTOGLOSSUM GRANDE, Lindley

GREAT ODONTOGLOSSUM

O. (Xanthoglossum) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis diphyllis, foliis coriaceis oblongo-ensiformibus scapo simplici brevioribus, sepalis lanceolatis lateralibus convexis falcatis petalisque oblongis obtusiusculis latioribus subundulatis, labello subrotundo basi auriculato sepalis plus duplo breviore, disci cristâ apice truncatâ bituberculatâ utrinque in medio dente calloque auctâ, columnæ tomentosæ auriculis rotundatis convexis incurvis.

Odontoglossum grande, Lindl. in Bot. Reg. 1840, Misc. 94; Bateman, Orchid. Mex. t. 21; Morren. Ann. Gand. i. t. 37.

Habitat in Guatemala, Skinner, Hartweg.

DESCRIPTION

Pseudobulbs compressed, broadly ovate, 2 or 3 inches long, bearing 1 or more frequently 2 leathery, oblong-ensiform Leaves, which, as well as the pseudobulbs, have always more or less of a pale-glaucous hue. Scape twice the length of the leaves, 4-8-flowered. Bracts sheathing, acute, half the length of the ovary. Flowers very large, in some varieties 7 inches or more from the tip of expanded petals. Sepals lanceolate, the lateral ones convex and falcate. Petals wider than the sepals, and, like them, of a rich yellow colour, marked with large deep-cinnamon bands and blotches, oblong, somewhat obtuse at their extremities, and slightly waved at the margin. Lip not half the length of the sepals, nearly round, whitish, with a few crimson stains near the crest, which is of rich orange-yellow, marked with deep-orange spots, and is seated on the disk of the lip; it consists of 2 large truncate processes in front, with 2 or 4 small teeth at its base; its auricles turn their edges down until they meet under the disk of the lip, and there grow together. Column downy, with a rounded, incurved, convex auricle on either side.

Mr. Skinner was the fortunate discoverer of this noble Odontoglossum which to this day remains unsurpassed, even among all the fine additions that have of late years been made to the genus. Mr. Skinner found it in a "barranca" (or dark ravine) in the environs of the city of Guatemala, and so closely had it lain concealed that even his quick eye failed to detect it until long after he had, as he thought, exhausted the district of all its finest Orchids. It was afterwards met with in other localities, but invariably in a climate of which the ordinary range of temperature lay between 60° and 70°, and in situations where it was secure of abundant moisture and constant shade. In these peculiarities of its natural habitat the conditions of its successful cultivation are clearly pointed out; yet, strange to say, they were unheeded for twenty years, during which the plants in our Orchid-houses were always in a feeble and sickly state, rarely producing more than two or three flowers on a scape, while the imported specimens showed that at least double that number was the proper quota. Now, however, the case is different, for with a mild temperature and moderate shade they are found to be managed with the most perfect ease and to grow with a vigour that could never have been exceeded in their native wilds. In proof of this we need only turn to the vignette, which is copied from a beautiful photograph kindly sent to me by Joshua Saunders, Esq., and which represents a specimen of O. grande as it appeared when flowering in his collection at Clifton. As a further evidence of the ease with which the plant may be grown I may mention that under the care of Major Trevor Clarke it has been induced to bloom in the open air during the summer months. This, however, must only be looked upon as an interesting experiment and is not recommended for imitation. O. grande usually flowers in July or August, when the season's growth is nearly completed; after this it should be allowed to rest. Mr. Fitch's drawing was taken from a handsome variety that flowered last year (1864) in a north house at Knypersley, and which had been given me by Mr. Skinner.5

Dissections. – 1. Front view of column and labellum; 2. Side view of ditto: slightly magnified.

Plate IX.

ODONTOGLOSSUM NÆVIUM, Lindley

SPECKLED ODONTOGLOSSUM

O. (Euodontoglossum) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis, foliis tenuibus lanceolatis basi angustatis scapo racemoso vel subpaniculato multifloro nutante subæqualibus vel longioribus, sepalis petalisque angustis ovato-lanceolatis acuminatis undulatis, labello subconformi pubescente vix hastato, cristæ dentibus 2 grossis bi- vel subtrilobis pubescentibus, columnæ cirrhis subulatis patulis.

Odontoglossum nævium, Lindley in Paxton's Flower Garden, i. t. 18; Flore des Serres, vi. 594; Pescatorea, t. 13; Warner's Select Orchidaceous Plants, t. 7; Reichenbach fil. in Bonplandia, ii. 278.

Habitat in Venezuela, Funck and Schlim (721), in the province of Truxillo, near S. Lazaro and La Peña, 6000 feet; New Granada, in the province of Pamplona, flowering in August, 8000 feet, Linden (146).

DESCRIPTION

Pseudobulbs ovate, compressed, somewhat bluntly ribbed, bearing 1 or 2 narrow-oblong Leaves, tapering at the base, about equal in length to or more frequently shorter than the many-flowered flower-scape. Flowers arranged on a nodding raceme (occasionally a panicle is formed), pure white, speckled everywhere with rich crimson or brown. Bracts very short, scale-like. Sepals and Petals ovate, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, spreading equally, much waved, from 1½ to (in some varieties) 2 or 2½ inches long. Lip shorter than the petals, but nearly of the same form and colour, except that there is a yellow crest with a large crimson blotch in its front; at its base the edges of the claw clasp the column. Teeth of the crest yellow, small, distinct, with 2 or 3 unequal blunt lobes to each, downy. Column downy, narrowed to the base, with a pair of awl-shaped ears near the summit, below the anther-bed.

This brilliant Odontoglossum was first discovered by the late Sir Robert Schomburgk, and having been shipped with his other collections from Demerara, has long been supposed to be a native of the latter colony. I am, however, satisfied that, beyond the circumstance alluded to, there is not the slightest reason for regarding it as a Demerara plant, for no other collector has ever found it there, nor would its constitution endure so hot a climate. As Sir Robert, in his memorable expedition into the interior of Guiana (1835-37), reached an elevation of 7000 feet, on the fourth parallel of latitude, and among the southern affluents of the Orinoco, I have little doubt that it was in this region that he discovered O. nævium, along with Maxillaria eburnea, Diothonea imbricata, and other treasures that have never yet found their way to us in a living state.6

O. nævium and its varieties appear to be extensively distributed, having been met with in many localities, both in Venezuela and New Granada, always, however, at a very considerable elevation, and hence the necessity of cool treatment. If this be conceded, the plant is of the easiest culture and will flower abundantly in May or June. The figure was taken from a splendid specimen in Mr. Rucker's collection.

I do not think it necessary to adhere any longer to Dr. Lindley's distinction (as noted in the 'Folia Orchidacea') of a "major" variety, for this is now found to pass insensibly into the ordinary type. The former has sometimes been confounded with the O. gloriosum of Reichenbach, but this is a perfectly independent form, and as such will shortly be figured in this work.

Dissections. – 1. Front view of lip and column; 2. Side view of ditto: magnified.

Plate X.

ODONTOGLOSSUM CARINIFERUM, Reichb. fil

KEEL-PETALED ODONTOGLOSSUM

O. (Xanthoglossum) pseudobulbis oblongis 1-2-phyllis, foliis loratis scapo paniculato brevioribus, sepalis petalisque oblongis acutiusculis basi subcuneatis dorso carinâ crassâ auctis pergameneis, labello membranaceo sessili ligulato dimidio anteriori subito in laminam reniformem denticulatam medio antice apiculatam extenso, lamellis rhombeis extrorsum biquadridentatis supinis utrinque in ligulâ labelli basilari, raphi utriusque lamellæ carinatâ antrorsum in tres digitos excurrente, columnâ elongatâ, alis elongatis crenulatis hyalinis inferioribus 2 utrinque obtusatis, crassioribus columnâ vix marginatâ. (Reichb. fil. in Bot. Zeitung, 1852, p. 638.)