The Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening

Every genus a Victorian gardener could grow — Abelia to Zygopetalum across four volumes, with each plant's history, species, and culture, by the Curator of Kew.

Home › C › Comparettia (This genus embraces five)

Comparettia (This genus embraces five)

This genus embraces five species, natives of the Andes of South America. Sepals erecto-patent, the dorsal one free, the lateral ones connate, produced at base into a long, slender spur which is free of the petals; lip continuous with the base of the column, produced at base into two long, linear spurs, the lateral lobes rather broad, erect, the middle one spreading, very broad. To the species described on p. 366, Vol. I., the following should now be added:

C. speciosa (showy). fl. large and numerous; sepals and petals light orange, with a cinnabar glow; lip cinnabar, orange at base, the front lobe sub-quadrate and emarginate, about 1 1/4in. wide, with a very short claw and a small keel between the basal auricles; spur minutely pilose, upwards of 1 1/2in. long; racemes loose. Ecuador. A beautiful species.

Read next

← Colocasia (Five species of this genus)Cordyline (Species are found in the East) →