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Cymbidium (From kymbe a boat referring)

(from kymbe, a boat; referring to a hollow recess in the Tip). ORD. Orchideae. A genus of about thirty species of stove orchids, for the most part natives of India, the Malayan Archipelago, and China, two species are African, three Australian, one New Caledonian, and one Japanese. Many of them have small and inconspicuous flowers; but a sufficient number of handsome species are to be found in the genus to induce the cultivator to have it well represented in any house, however small. Their characteristic features are to be found in the long, narrow, sword-shaped leaves, and in the labellum, which is ornamented with a pair of curved elevated lines on the lower part; the sepals and petals are linear-oblong. When once established, Cymbidiums are not difficult to grow; but, on account of their thick fleshy roots, they are by no means easy to restore, if imported in a bad state. They succeed best cultivated in pots, and should be placed in a compost of good rough peat, sphagnum, and a little sharp sand. The thin-leaved kinds, especially, must never be dried, or the loss of many leaves will, as a consequence, follow, to the great disfigurement of the plants; but it should be borne in mind that there must be a great difference made in the quantity supplied during the summer and winter. Cymbidiums, when not growing, should be kept somewhat cool, and plenty of fresh air given at all times, avoiding cold chills. C. affine (kindred). fl. white, with a few purplish dots on the anterior of lip; racemes many-flowered. l. linear-acuminate, rigid. India, 1878. (F. M. n. s. 346.) C. aloifolium (Aloe-leaved). fl. rich pale purple, with a long, almost black, stripe down the centre; spikes drooping, many flowered. September. l. very thick and fleshy. h. 1ft. East, Indies, 1789. (L. B. C. 967.) C. bicolor (two-coloured).* fl. resembling those of C. aloifolium, but distinguished from that species by the presence of a sac at the bottom of the lip, and also a number of stains and stripes of very deep crimson. April. Ceylon, 1837.

C. canaliculatum (channelled).* fl., sepals and petals purplish-brown, edged with green; lip greenish-white, with a row of pink spots just within the edge; racemes drooping, bearing numerous moderate-sized flowers. April. l. broadly linear-elongate, keeled. Stem short, compressed, almost pseudo-bulbous. North-eastern Australia, 1870. (B. M. 5851.) C. Dayanum (Day's).* fl. yellowish-white, marked with port-wine coloured streaks on the middle lines of sepals and petals, and a similar border and numerous small streaks on the lip; racemes many-flowered, pendulous. l. about 4ft. long, narrow. Assam. 1869.

C. Devonianum (Duke of Devonshire's).* fl., sepals and petals light brown, with dull mauve-purple streaks and blotches; lip white, with numerous dark purple lines and blotches, the acute, reflexed, anterior part wholly of a fine dark purple, almost rhomboid; racemes nodding, many-flowered. l. lanceolate-oblong, acute, with long channelled petioles. India, 1837. (P. M. B. 10, 97.) C. eburneum (ivory).* fl. deliciously fragrant, very handsome, large, Tulip-like; sepals ivory-white; petal and lip stained with pale yellow; racemes erect, usually one (but sometimes two) flowered. February. l. narrow, sword-shaped, distichous, bright light green. With age, this very rare species forms a stout stem-like pseudo bulb, but, when young, it shows no sign of this. East Indies, 1846. (B. R. 33, 67.) There are one or two varieties. C. giganteum (gigantic).* fl. large; sepals and petals brown; lip brown, stained with yellow and blotched with purple; racemes erect, many-flowered. Winter and spring, lasting several weeks in beauty. The plant has a distinct pseudo-bulb, which is clothed with the broad sheathing bases of the long sword-like leaves. Northern India, 1837. A strong and bold-growing species, but somewhat shy at flowering. (P. M. B. xii. 241.) C. Hookerianum (Hooker's).* fl. very large, upwards of 4in. in diameter; sepals and petals green; lip straw-coloured, deep yellow at the margins, round which are large blotches of rich purple; racemes erect. Sikkim Himalayas, 1866. A fine cool-house species, similar to C. giganteum in habit, but striped with greenish-yellow at base of the leaves. (B. M. 5574.) C. Huttoni (Hutton's).* fl. rather large; petals wholly of a deep chocolate-colour; sepals and lip thickly marked with transverse chocolate-coloured bars on a whitish ground; racemes long, drooping, radical. l. twin, coriaceous, nerveless. Pseudo-bulbs elongated. Java, 1857. A very distinct species. (B. M. 5676.) C. Leachianum (Leach's).* fl., sepals and petals ligulate, acute, whitish-ochre colour, with a brown line running nearly to the apex; lip nearly totally brown except the whitish disk with two keels, three-lobed; racemes loose. l. linear-lanceolate, acute. Formosa, 1878.

C. longifolium (long-leaved). fl. olive-green, brown, whitish. November. India, 1873.

C. Lowianum (Low's).* fl. large; sepals and petals green, with a few faint sepia-brown lines over the strongest nerves; lip whitish-yellow; disk of anterior lacinia in the beginning purple, later maroon brownish-purple, with a very narrow pallid border, a few spots at base of lip. March. Burmah, 1877. (G. C. n. s., xi. 405.) C. Mastersii (Masters').* fl. pure ivory-white, saving a stain of pink on the lip, and with a fragrance like that of almonds; racemes erect, many-flowered. Winter. Assam, 1841. In general appearance, the growth of this species resembles C. eburneum, but the leaves are longer, broader, and more recurved, and are destitute of the close sheathing base which is a striking feature in that plant. (Gn., May, 1884.) There are one or more varieties of this species. C. ochroleucum. See Camaridium ochroleucum.

C. Parishii (Parish's).* A very rare and beautiful species. Described as follows: sepals and petals ivory-white; lip with an orange middle zone, and an orange disk to the anterior lobe, both painted with purplish-brown spots. The side lobes of the lip have numerous spots of a most lively purplish-violet, which give the chief charm to the flower. The back side of the column is white, the edges are yellow, and the front side is yellow, with some brownish-purple spots on the foot. Peduncle two or three-flowered. l. ligulate, narrow, acute. Burmah, 1874. (W. O. A. 25.) C. pendulum (pendulous). fl., sepals and petals brown; lip red, striped with white; racemes long, drooping, from 1ft. to 2ft. in length, many-flowered. July and August. l. erect, long, narrow, thick, leathery, dark green. Nepaul, 1838. A large-growing plant. (B. R. 26, 25.) C. p. purpureum (purple).* A very handsome variety, producing racemes from 2ft. to 3ft. long; sepals and petals of a rich deep red; lip white, with crimson markings. East Indies, 1868.

C. sinense (Chinese).* fl. deliciously fragrant; sepals and petals brown and purple; lip yellowish-green, spotted with purple; racemes tall, erect, many-flowered. China, 1793. (L. B. C. 37.) C. tig??inum (striped). fl. large; sepals and petals greenish-yellow, spotted with red; lip large, tapering to a point, middle portion white, striped with cross bars of purple, sides of the lip also purple. l. about 6in. long. Pseudo-bulbs nearly round. Tenasserim, 1864. (B. M. 5457.)