Part 1

THE ORCHID ALBUM,

COMPRISING COLOURED FIGURES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW, RARE, AND BEAUTIFUL ORCHIDACEOUS PLANTS.

CONDUCTED BY ROBERT WARNER, F.L.S., F.R.H.S., Author of SELECT ORCHIDACEOUS PLANTS, AND BENJAMIN SAMUEL WILLIAMS, F.L.S., F.R.H.S., Author of the ORCHID-GROWERS’ MANUAL, etc.

The Botanical Descriptions by THOMAS MOORE, F.L.S., F.R.H.S., CURATOR of the CHELSEA BOTANIC GARDENS.

_THE COLOURED FIGURES BY JOHN NUGENT FITCH, F.L.S._

VOLUME I.

LONDON: Published by B. S. Williams, AT THE VICTORIA AND PARADISE NURSERIES, UPPER HOLLOWAY, N. MDCCCLXXXII.

DEDICATED BY SPECIAL PERMISSION TO _H.R.H. The Princess of Wales,_ BY HER ROYAL HIGHNESS’ Very obedient and humble Servants, ROBERT WARNER, BENJAMIN S. WILLIAMS.

PREFACE.

The great advances which have been made within the last few years in the introduction and the cultivation of Exotic Orchids, have suggested the desirability of devoting a monthly publication to the illustration of the best forms of these singular and captivating aristocratic plants, and also to the explanation of the most successful methods of growing them, its object being to supply such information concerning them as the Orchid Grower may be likely to find useful in directing his purchases, and in suggesting the various points of discreet and masterly management. Moreover, we have found that figures of the better varieties of Orchids are much in request.

These considerations have induced us to commence the publication of the Orchid Album, in the confident expectation that we shall meet with sufficient support and encouragement to enable us to continue it, and, so far as our experience goes, we have no reason to feel disappointed, for we find that Orchid growers, both amateur and professional, are taking a marked interest not only in the plates but also in the cultural notes.

In regard to the subjects for illustration, we hope in due course to figure not only the typical form of all the more popular and interesting species, but also the leading varieties, when they prove sufficiently distinct and meritorious. It is for these that we anticipate our subscribers and readers will most anxiously look.

Being of Royal Quarto size, the pages of the Album are sufficiently large to enable the artist to produce ample and intelligible portraits of the plants without their becoming cumbersome; and, as they will be drawn and coloured in the best style, we confidently hope they will prove to be acceptable to the lovers and growers of Orchids generally. Thus we trust we may be permitted to lay before our patrons an acceptable Annual Album of Floral Pictures, which will be, at once, welcomed both to the Drawing-room and the Library.

The work has been commenced in deference to the urgent representations of many of the leading cultivators of these remarkable and fascinating plants, who have pointed out to us the want which we are now endeavouring to meet. The great advantage and pleasure which Orchid Growers have derived from the publication of such illustrated works as the _Select Orchidaceous Plants_, and such practical instructions as are given in the _Orchid Grower’s Manual_, lead us to believe that there exists a desire and a taste for further Orchidic literature, which we trust the Orchid Album may in some considerable degree supply. Our chief aim will be to give authentic information as to the nomenclature of the plants, and to disseminate correct instructions in regard to their cultural requirements. The finer new Orchids, as well as the older meritorious species and varieties, will be figured with equal fidelity, and described with equal accuracy. We shall at all times feel grateful to those Amateurs or Trade growers who may give us information as to the flowering either of novelties or of remarkably fine forms of the older kinds, especially if they are such as will be suitable for figuring.

The Annual Volumes will consist of the twelve Monthly Parts issued up to June in each year, when the volume will be completed by the publication of a Title Page and Index.

B. S. WILLIAMS.

Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, Upper Holloway, London, N., _June 1st, 1882_.

INDEX TO PLATES.

PLATE AËRIDES LOBBII, _Hort. Veitch_ 21 ANGRÆCUM EBURNEUM, _Du Pet.-Th._ 41 ANGULOA RUCKERII SANGUINEA, _Lindl._ 19 BURLINGTONIA CANDIDA, _Lindl._ 18 CALANTHE VEITCHII, _Lindl._ 31 CATTLEYA GUTTATA LEOPOLDII, _Lind. et Rchb. f._ 16 CATTLEYA MENDELII GRANDIFLORA, _Williams et Moore_ 3 CATTLEYA MORGANÆ, _Williams et Moore_ 6 CATTLEYA SUPERBA SPLENDENS, _Lem._ 33 CATTLEYA TRIANÆ, _Lind. et Rchb. f._ 45 CATTLEYA VELUTINA, _Rchb. f._ 26 CŒLOGYNE MASSANGEANA, _Rchb. f._ 29 CYMBIDIUM PARISHII, _Rchb. f._ 25 CYPRIPEDIUM CHLORONEURUM, _Rchb. f._ 37 CYPRIPEDIUM LAWRENCEANUM, _Rchb. f._ 22 CYPRIPEDIUM POLITUM, _Rchb. f._ 36 CYPRIPEDIUM STONEI, _Low_ 8 DENDROBIUM AINSWORTHII ROSEUM, _Moore_ 20 DENDROBIUM BIGIBBUM, _Lindl._ 38 DENDROBIUM SUAVISSIMUM, _Rchb. f._ 13 DENDROBIUM SUPERBUM, _Rchb. f._ 42 EPIDENDRUM VITELLINUM MAJUS, _Hort._ 4 LÆLIA ANCEPS DAWSONI, _Anders._ 44 LÆLIA ELEGANS ALBA, _Williams et Moore_ 30 LÆLIA PURPURATA WILLIAMSII, _Hort._ 9-10 LÆLIA SCHRÖDERII, _Williams et Moore_ 2 LÆLIA XANTHINA, _Lindl._ 23 MASDEVALLIA HARRYANA CŒRULESCENS, _Hort._ 24 MASDEVALLIA SHUTTLEWORTHII, _Rchb. f._ 5 MILTONIA CUNEATA, _Lindl._ 46 ODONTOGLOSSUM ALEXANDRÆ, _Batem._ 47 ODONTOGLOSSUM ALEXANDRÆ FLAVEOLUM, _Williams et Moore_ 43 ODONTOGLOSSUM ANDERSONIANUM, _Rchb. f._ 35 ODONTOGLOSSUM BREVIFOLIUM, _Lindl._ 27 ODONTOGLOSSUM KRAMERI, _Rchb. f._ 40 ONCIDIUM CONCOLOR, _Hook._ 1 ONCIDIUM GARDNERI, _Lindl._ 12 ONCIDIUM HÆMATOCHILUM, _Lindl._ 32 PAPHINIA CRISTATA, _Lindl._ 34 PESCATOREA KLABOCHORUM, _Rchb. f._ 17 PHALÆNOPSIS AMABILIS DAYANA, _Hort._ 11 PHALÆNOPSIS STUARTIANA NOBILIS, _Rchb. f._ 39 PROMENÆA CITRINA, _Don._ 7 TRICHOPILIA SUAVIS ALBA, _Hort._ 14 VANDA CŒRULESCENS, _Griff._ 48 VANDA PARISHII, _Rchb. f._ 15 ZYGOPETALUM GAUTIERI, _Lem._ 28

INDEX TO NOTES AND SYNONYMS.

UNDER PLATE Aërides Fieldingii, Dr. Ainsworth’s 4 Aërides Leeanum, Mr. Law-Schofield’s 37 Aërides odoratum majus, Mrs. Arbuthnot’s 14 Aërides Schröderii, Dr. Ainsworth’s 4 Aërides suavissimum, Mr. Coates’ 18 Angræcum eburneum virens 41 Angræcum sesquipedale, Mr. Coates’ 18 Angræcum superbum, _Du Pet.-Th._ 41 Bletia xanthina, _Rchb. f._ 23 Bollea cœlestis, as a block plant 40 Bolleas, Mr. Gair’s 17 Cattleya Dowiana, Mr. Dodgson’s 19 Cattleya Dowiana, Mr. Lee’s 2 Cattleya gigas, Mr. Bockett’s 6 Cattleya gigas, Mr. Lee’s 2 Cattleya labiata Lindigiana, _Karst._ 45 Cattleya labiata Trianæ, _Duch._ 45 Cattleya Leopoldii, _Hort. Versch._ 16 Cattleya superba, Sir T. Lawrence’s 3 Cattleya Trianæ, Mr. Wright’s 41 Cattleya Trianæ Dodgsoni 40 Cattleya Trianæ Osmani 40 Cymbidium eburneum, correction 29 Cypripedium barbatum superbum, Mr. Dodgson’s 4 Cypripedium insigne, Mrs Haywood’s 27 Cypripedium Spicerianum, Mr. Bockett’s 19 Cypripedium villosum, Mr. Wyatt’s 42 Cyrtochilum citrinum, _Hook._ 1 Dendrobium Ainsworthii, _Moore_ 20 Dendrobium Falconeri, Marquis of Lothian’s 44 Dendrobium Findleyanum, Mr. Bowring’s 32 Dendrobium Hillii, Mr. Wyatt’s 42 Dendrobium macranthum, _Hook._ 42 Dendrobium macrophyllum, _Lindl._ 42 Dendrobium nobile, a three-lipped 48 Dendrobium superbum (macrophyllum), Prince of Wales’ 36 Dendrobium Wardianum, Mr. Salamon’s 44 Dendrochilum filiforme, Mr. Hill’s 15 Epidendrum elatius, var., _Rchb. f._ 45 Epidendrum labiatum Trianæ, _Rchb. f._ 45 Epidendrum nemorale, Sir T. Lawrence’s 3 Lælia anceps Dawsoni, Mr. Dodgson’s 28 Lælia autumnalis atrorubens, Mr. Chamberlain’s 28 Lælia Dominiana rosea, _Hort. Veitch_ 12 Lælia elegans prasiata 40 Lælia Philbrickiana, _Hort. Veitch_ 5 Limodorum eburneum, _Bory._ 41 Masdevallia chimæra, Dr. Ainsworth’s 26 Masdevallia Harryana, _Rchb. f._ 24 Masdevallia Lindeni, _Hook._ 24 Masdevallia Lindeni Harryana, _André_ 24 Maxillaria citrina, _Lyons_ 7 Maxillaria cristata, _Lindl._ 34 Miltonia speciosa, _Kl._ 46 Odontoglossum Alexandræ, Dr. Ainsworth’s 26 Odontoglossum Alexandræ flaveolum, Mr. Hardy’s 34 Odontoglossum Alexandræ reginæ 48 Odontoglossum Bluntii, _Rchb. f._ 47 Odontoglossum crispum, _Lindl._ 47 Odontoglossum crispum flaveolum, _Rchb. f._ 43 Odontoglossum Londesboroughianum, Mr. Law-Schofield’s 27 Odontoglossum Roezlii, Mr. Todd’s 43 Odontoglossum vexillarium, Mr. Bull’s autumn-flowering variety 23 Odontoglossums at Trentham 43 Oncidium luridum purpuratum, _Lodd._ 32 Oncidium speciosum, _Rchb. f._ 46 Orchids, Dr. Ainsworth’s 26 Orchids, Mr. Dodgson’s 4 Orchids, Mr. Dorman’s 40 Orchids, Mr. Hardy’s 4 Orchids, Baron Schröder’s 22 Orchids at Arnot Hill 15 Orchids at Ferguslie 18 Orchids at Manchester, 1881 4 Orchids in Belgium, Dr. Boddaert’s 1 Orchids in Belgium, M. D. Massange’s 16 Orchids from Dr. Paterson 45 Orchids, from Perth, N.B. 48 Orchids, raised blinds for 35 Orchids, shading 30, 35 Pescatoreas, Mr. Gair’s 17 Phalænopsids, Mr. Bockett’s 11 Phalænopsis intermedia Portei, Baron Schröder’s 22 Phalænopsis Stuartiana, _Rchb. f._ 39 Restrepia antennifera, M. D. Massange’s 16 Rodriquezia candida, _Batem._ 18 Sphagnum, best kind for Odontoglots 43 Trichopilia suavis, _Lindl._ 14 Vanda Cathcartii, M. D. Massange’s 16 Vanda cœrulea, Marquis of Lothian’s 17 Vanda Lowii, Sir T. Lawrence’s 3 Vanda suavis, Dr. Ainsworth’s 4 Vanda suavis, Mr. Dodgson’s 4 Vanda tricolor, Mr. Broome’s 25 Vanda tricolor planilabris, M. Massange’s 16 Zygopetalum Klabochorum, _Rchb. f._ 17

ONCIDIUM CONCOLOR. [Plate 1.] Native of the Organ Mountains of Brazil.

Epiphytal. _Pseudobulbs_ small, tufted, ovate or ovate-oblong, compressed, somewhat furrowed, two-leaved. _Leaves_ subcoriaceous, oblong-linear or ligulate, acute, bright green. _Scape_ radical, springing from the base of the young pseudobulbs, drooping, furnished with small bracts. _Flowers_ yellow, racemose; _sepals_ (dorsal) ovate-lanceolate or obovate, acute, the lateral ones smaller, lance-shaped, and united behind the lip for about half their length; _petals_ obovate, acute, somewhat undulated, about as long as the sepals; _lip_ (labellum) large and prominent, roundish subpanduriform, emarginate, somewhat clawed, furnished with a pair of plates or lamellæ (bilamellate) at the base, of a clear yellow colour, as are the sepals and petals. _Column_ about half as long as the petals, with a projecting tooth on each side.

Oncidium concolor, _Hooker_, _Botanical Magazine_, t. 3752; _Lindley_, _Folia Orchidacea_, Art. _Oncidium_, No. 65 (excl. syn. Klotzsch); _Reichenbach fil._ in _Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematicæ_, vi. 731.; _Carrière_, in _Revue Horticole_, 1881, 30, with tab.

Cyrtochilum citrinum, _Hooker_, _Botanical Magazine_, t. 4454.

The brilliant little plant here figured—a representation in the tribe _Vandeæ_, of the great genus _Oncidium_—belongs to the group of Oncids which Lindley named _Tetrapetala micropetala_, in which two of the sepals are united so that the petaloid organs, as distinguished from the lip, are reduced to four in number (_tetrapetala_), and at the same time the petals, which are about equal in size to the sepals, are comparatively small by comparison with the remaining organ.

This species, although not new, was until recently extremely rare, and was, indeed, seldom met with in collections; now, however, the little gem is very plentiful, thanks to the indefatigable zeal of our collectors, so that growers who do not possess it may obtain it at a very small cost. The species is one of the most compact-growing and beautiful of the _Oncidiums_, producing, as it does, from the base of the new bulbs, many-flowered drooping spikes of rich yellow blossoms. It is an excellent subject for planting in a pan or basket to be suspended from the roof of the house, where the brightly-coloured flowers produce a charming effect; indeed, we do not know of any Orchid which has a better appearance when grown in this way.

_Oncidium concolor_ succeeds best in a compost of peat with a little sphagnum moss added, and with plenty of good drainage. We have grown it most successfully in small pans, but it can be cultivated either in a basket or on a block. It would succeed equally well in a pot, but the drooping character of the flower-spikes renders it a most fitting subject for growing in either of the above-named receptacles, and for suspension from the roof. As to temperature, we find it succeeds best in the Odontoglossum-house during the summer months. After it has flowered, and while it is making its growth, a copious supply of water should be given to it, always keeping the soil moist until the growth of the bulbs is completed. When it has finished its growth, it should be removed to the Cattleya-house, where it should be kept moderately dry until it produces its spikes about March or April.

For exhibition purposes this is a most valuable little plant, being easy of cultivation, distinct in colour, and flowering during the principal exhibition months, May and June; its long lasting quality is also a great point in its favour. In order to preserve the flowers for a considerable time, they should be kept free from damp, for if allowed to get wet they soon become spotted, and fade, but when kept in this way, they will last at least six or seven weeks. The plant is altogether a most valuable Orchid, and as it takes up but little room, we recommend growers to procure a good stock of it, as its effect when suspended among other flowering Orchids is charming.

Orchids in Belgium.—When in Ghent a few days ago, I had the good fortune to receive an invitation to view the celebrated collection of Dr. Boddaert of that city. The collection is a very extensive one, and the plants are exceedingly well grown and healthy. There was a good show of flowering Orchids, among which may be mentioned:—_Trichopilia crispa marginata_ with forty-two expanded flowers, a marvel of cultivation; _Odontoglossum Phalænopsis_ with twenty-six flowers, a fine well-grown plant; _Cypripedium Argus_ with six flower spikes; the new _Trichopilia suavis alba_, of which we hope to give a plate later on; _Anguloa Ruckerii sanguinea_ with several flowers; also the rare _Nanodes Medusæ_, with _Odontoglossums_, _Vandas_, _Masdevallias_, &c., in great variety.

H. Williams.

LÆLIA SCHRÖDERII. [Plate 2.] Native of Bahia.

Epiphytal. _Stems_ (or pseudobulbs) club-shaped, about a foot and a half high, monophyllous, furrowed when mature. _Leaves_ coriaceous, oblong, acute, broad to the base, light green. _Scape_ three to four-flowered, issuing from a terminal oblong compressed bract, an inch wide and five inches long. _Flowers_ large, subhorizontal, about seven inches across, delicately coloured, with a prettily veined lip; _sepals_ lanceolate, reflexed, three-fourths of an inch wide, white; _petals_ convex, ovate, narrowed to the base, somewhat crispy at the edge, pure white, scarcely as long as the lip; _lip_ (labellum) membranaceous, three-lobed, the lateral lobes convolute around the column, yellow outside, striped with deeper yellow veins, the middle lobe ovate, obtuse, undulated, the anterior portion and margin white, the mouth veined with magenta-rose, the disk naked, and the tubulose basal portion deep yellow, veined with magenta. _Column_ much shorter than the lateral lobes of the lip.

Lælia Schröderii, _supra_.

This plant belongs to that tribe of the Orchid family which is called _Epidendreæ_, and of which the genus _Epidendrum_ is regarded as the type. This group is known by its waxy pollen-masses, which are attached to a distinct caudicle, but bear no separable stigmatic gland as occurs in the tribe _Vandeæ_. The genus is closely related to _Cattleya_, and contains some of the finest ornaments of our Orchid-houses.

The subject of our present illustration is a new and most beautiful Orchid, now figured and described for the first time. It is closely allied to _Lælia grandis_, but is distinct from that species, inasmuch as the sepals and petals are white, whereas those of _L. grandis_ are of a nankeen yellow. It is named in honour of Baron Henry Schröder, an enthusiastic admirer of this handsome class of plants. The species flowered for the first time this year, in the Victoria and Paradise Nurseries.

The flowers are produced in May and June, three or four together, on spikes which are produced from the apex of the new bulbs; they have a delicate and pleasing appearance, the sepals and petals being pure white, while the lip is white, striped with rose, throat deep yellow, veined with magenta. It should be kept free from damp when in flower, as the blossoms being of a delicate nature, soon spot and go off; but kept in this way free from moisture they will last about four weeks in a fresh and perfect state.

In growth the plant somewhat resembles _L. purpurata_, the bulbs and foliage being about eighteen inches in height, and of a light green colour. It succeeds well grown in the Cattleya-house in pots filled with peat and a little sphagnum moss, over plenty of drainage. It should receive a moderate supply of water at the root during the growing season, and should never be allowed to get thoroughly dry. When it has made its growth it should be allowed to rest, and at that time should be kept rather dry, only giving it sufficient water to prevent it from shrivelling.

_Lælias_ are subject to the attacks of white scale, but this can easily be got rid of by sponging with clean water. Thrips sometimes attack the young growths, and if allowed to increase, soon disfigure the leaves.