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Houlletia (Named after M Houllet a French)

(named after M. Houllet, a French gardener). ORD. Orchideae. A genus of about half-a-dozen species of ornamental orchids, natives of Columbia and Brazil. Perianth spreading; sepals nearly free; petals a little smaller, unguiculate; lip continuous with the base of the column, which is erect, arched, and clavate. Houlletias thrive in pots, in a compost of peat and charcoal. Perfect drainage, and a liberal supply of water during the growing season, are needed. Propagation may be effected by divisions of the pseudo-bulbs, as growth commences.

H. Brocklehurstiana (Brocklehurst's). fl. 3in. to 3 1/2in. in diameter; petals orange-brown, with darker spots; lip yellow, spotted with dark brown; spikes about six-flowered, from the sides of the short rounded psendo-bulbs. Summer. l. broad, on long petioles, pale green. h. 1 1/2ft. Brazil, 1841. (B. M. 4072.) H. chrysantha (golden-flowered). fl. large, 1 1/2in. broad; sepals and petals golden-yellow, profusely blotched with chocolate; lip rich yellow, freckled with crimson; spike from the base of the flask-shaped pseudo-bulbs, six to eight-flowered. l. solitary, narrow-elliptic, plaited. Columbia, 1872. (I. H. xviii. 138.) H. Lowiana (Low's). fl. yellowish-white, about 1 1/2in. across; peduncles usually bent forwards or sideways, one to three-flowered. l. cuneate, oblong-lanceolate, acute, plaited. unequal. Pseudo-bulbs very short, whitish-green. Columbia, 1874.

H. odoratissima (very sweet-scented).* fl. 2 1/2in. across; petals orange-brown, striped with a lighter colour; lip white, tipped with yellow; spike from the side of the pseudo-bulbs. l. light green. h. 1 1/2ft. H. o. antioquensis (Antioquian). fl., sepals much broader than those of the type; lip very long, somewhat sagittate, white, tinged with pale yellow; spike erect, many-flowered. antioquia, 1870. An improvement on the type, with dark green leaves and pseudo-bulbs. (G. C. 1870, 12.) H. picta (painted).* fl. cinnamon-brown, 3 1/2in. in diameter; sepals narrow-oblong, tips rounded; petals rather smaller, narrowed towards the base; lip shorter than the petals, jointed at the middle; distal portion (epichyle) broadly-hastate, with the broad, blunt, deeply-channelled apex so recurved that the epichyle looks truncate; hypochile somewhat trapeziform, the sides produced backwards into long ascending spurs, that are rather shorter than the column; column yellow, blotched with brown on the back; scape from the base of the pseudo-bulb, stout, ascending, green, six to ten-flowered; sheaths few, short; bracts linear-oblong, green, deciduous; pedicel and ovary 3/4in. long. l., with the slender petiole, 1 1/2in. to 2 1/2in. long, elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, plaited, green. Pseudo-bulbs tufted, about 3in. long, narrow, ovoid, compressed, grooved. New Granada. (B. M. 6305.) H. tigrina (tiger-marked). fl., sepals greenish-yellow, barred with brown; petals smaller, rich yellow barred with crimson; lip white, dotted with brown and barred with light purple. Pseudo-bulbs 2in. long, somewhat ovate, with long dark green obtuse leaves. Columbia, 1852. (I. H. 612.) H. vittata (striped). A synonym of Polycycnis vittata.