VANDA CŒRULESCENS. [Plate 48.] Native of Burmah.

VANDA CŒRULESCENS. [Plate 48.] Native of Burmah.

Epiphytal. Stem one to two feet high or more, producing long stout flexuous roots from the leaf bases. Leaves close set, distichous, linear-ligulate, truncately-bilobed, coriaceous, channelled, five to seven inches long, of a deep green colour, carinate, the keel forming an angular projection at the tip. Scapes or Peduncles slender, distantly vaginate, with small appressed sheaths, axillary, erect, bearing a ten to twenty flowered raceme longer than the leaves. Flowers neat and very pleasing, pale mauve-blue; sepals incurved, cuneate-ovate, obtuse, clawed, of a pale greyish blue; petals similar in size, form, and colour, twisted at the base, with the two lateral lobes tawny-yellow, and adnate to the column, the middle or front lobe obcuneate dilated and emarginate at the apex, the margins deflexed, of a rich violet-blue, with a pair of keel-shaped deep violet calli and a short intermediate one on the disk, the spur straight or incurved, conical, tipped with green. Column small, blue.

Vanda cœrulescens, Griffith, Notulæ, 352; Id., Icones, t. 331; Lindley, Folia Orchidacea, art. Vanda, No. 19; Reichenbach fil., in Walpers’ Annales Botanices Systematicæ, vi., 868; Id., in Gardeners’ Chronicle, 1869, 498; 1870, 529, fig. 97; Hooker fil., Botanical Magazine, t. 5834 (colour faulty); Williams, Orchid Grower’s Manual, ed. 5, 305.

The Vandas are a most noble family of Orchids, including amongst them many beautiful species, such as V. suavis, V. tricolor, V. Batemanni, and others. They are well furnished with leaves, and make splendid specimens, requiring considerable space in which to grow them, but they are plants of great beauty, and when not in bloom make grand objects of attraction. No collection should be without them, as they flower at all times of the year. Where a number of these Orchids are grown, as at Chatsworth, we have seen as many as 193 spikes in blossom at one time, presenting a most glorious sight.

The Vandas are of easy cultivation. The species which we now figure is a small, elegant-growing, free-blooming plant, and also very distinct in character, as will be seen from the plate, which gives a good representation of it. Our drawing was taken from a beautiful specimen growing in the splendid collection of C. Dorman, Esq., The Firs, Laurie Park, Sydenham, who has one of the best grown collections of Orchids we have seen, and one which does great credit to Mr. Coningsby, the gardener.

Vanda cœrulescens is a compact growing species, as may be seen from our plate. In this instance it produced a flower spike of a drooping habit fifteen inches 95 long, which is quite an exception, as the flower spikes are generally more or less erect or ascending. The sepals and petals are of a bluish-mauve, the lip of a deep blue. It is altogether most distinct in colour, and a plant that is greatly required in a collection of Orchids for the sake of the charming contrasts it yields. It blooms at different times of the year, and continues for several weeks in beauty. We find the heat of the East India house is congenial to it. It grows well in sphagnum moss, and must have good drainage, because it must be kept moist during the growing season; when at rest less moisture is required. The plant thrives either in a pot or in a basket suspended from the roof, so that it may get plenty of light, but must be shaded from the sun.

Odontoglossum Alexandræ reginæ.—F. A. Philbrick, Esq., Oldfield, Bickley, has sent us two fine spikes of this grand variety, the white flowers of which are of good form and profusely blotched, both on the sepals and petals, with reddish crimson. It is one of the finest spotted forms of this valuable species.—B. S. W.

Orchids from Perth, N.B.—We have received from W. Macdonald, Esq., Woodlands, Perth, a nice spike of Scuticaria Steelii, with three flowers. This is a curious growing Orchid, and one seldom sees it in blossom. The flowers are produced from the base of the reed-like leaves, and are yellow, distinctly spotted with crimson. The plant makes a fine specimen for a block, and when suspended from the roof shows off its leaves and flowers to advantage. Accompanying this was a spike of a fine variety of Odontoglossum Pescatorei, with flowers measuring three and a half inches across. Mr. Macdonald informs us that this spike was produced from a plant with small bulbs, and he expects, as the plant gets stronger, that it will produce larger flowers. There was also in flower at The Woodlands a grand specimen of Camarotis purpurea, with about 100 spikes of its pretty rosy pink flowers fully open.—B. S. W.