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Comparettia (Named after Andreas Comparetti)

(named after Andreas Comparetti, professor at Padua, and a writer on vegetable physiology; born in 1746, died in 1801). ORD. Orchideae. Elegant but very rare stove epiphytal Orchids, with handsome, generally drooping, racemes of small but brightly-coloured flowers, which retain their beauty for a considerable period. They succeed well on small blocks of wood, with live sphagnum, suspended from the roof of a moderately warm house, where they will not be fully exposed to the sun. Comparettias require a liberal supply of moisture during the growing season, and at no time should they be allowed to become dry. Propagated by division of the plants.

C. coccinea (scarlet).* fl., sepals and petals brilliant scarlet; lip the same colour, with a tinge of white at the base; racemes three to seven-flowered. November. l. bright green on the upper surface, elegant purple beneath. Brazil, 1838. (B. R. 24, 68.) C. falcata (sickle-shaped).* fl., sepals and petals rich rosy-purple; lip the same colour, but thickly veined with a deeper shade. Columbia, 1836. Not very dissimilar to C. coccinea, but having broader leaves and somewhat differently shaped flowers. Very rare.

C. macroplectron (long-spurred).* fl. pale rose-coloured, speckled with red, distichous, nearly 2in. long from the tip of the dorsal sepal to the end of the lip; racemes pendulous. l. two to three, 4in. to 5in. long by 1/2in. to 1 1/4ub. broad, leathery, green above; pale, and faintly streaked with rusty-yellow, beneath. New Grenada. (B. M. 6679.) C. rosea (rosy).* Very small, but pretty, with shorter and more compact racemes than C. falcata. Spanish Main, 1843. Rarely seen. (P. M. B. 10, 1.)