The Woodlands Orchids Part 9

He slept in the hall, and at dawn he was more than ready. But early rising is not a virtue of savages. To explore without permission would be dangerous. Gradually the village woke to life. Men descended from their quarters high in air, bathed, made their toilettes, and lounged about, waiting for breakfast. Girls came down for water and returned, whilst their mothers tidied the house. Smoke arose. In due time the men mounted, ate, climbed down, and gathered in the public hall, where Sam Choon was setting out a sample of his wares. Hours pa.s.sed. But the chief's door remained shut. No one pa.s.sed out or in.

Roebelin saw people glance upwards with a grave air; but they showed no surprise. He consulted Sam Choon, who had been too busy to notice.

All he said was, ''Spect chief get bad bird! Dam! All up this day!' And he stopped his preparations.

So it proved to be--a fowl of black plumage had flown across just as the door was opening. None of the chief's household came down that day. But after negotiation some of the men led Roebelin to see the Phalaenopsis.

They grew in thousands over a brook close by, clinging to small trees. He counted twenty-two plants, bearing more than a hundred flowers open, upon a single trunk. Very curious is one point noticed. The Phalaenopsis always grows on the northern side of its support, and always turns its flower spike towards the southern side. It is a very bad species to travel. Of the mult.i.tude which Roebelin gathered, not more than a hundred reached Europe alive, and every collector since, I believe, has failed utterly.

Very few possessed his knowledge and experience.

That was Phalaenopsis Sanderiana; rather purple than red, but certainly the flower so long sought. With the superb Aerides--now called A.

Roebelini--he was even less successful; it is only to be seen in a very few collections of the highest cla.s.s.

So the legend ends. But there is a funny little sequel. Sam Choon did well with his 'notions.' After Mr. Roebelin's departure, he returned to Davao and opened a promising branch of trade. To secure a permanent footing, he thought it would be judicious to marry a daughter of the chief, and he proposed for the giant beauty whom Roebelin had noticed on landing. The father was astonished and amused, but finally indignant. A Chinaman, however, though thrifty by habit and taste, does not count expense when pleasure or business urge him, and both combined here. The chief wavered, and took counsel of his elders. They also were astonished and indignant; but Sam Choon found means to persuade them. So the young woman received notice that she was to marry the Chinaman next day. Her remarks are not chronicled. But there was much excitement among the bachelors and maidens that evening, and presently a band of stalwart youths entered the hall where Sam Choon sat with the chief--his father-in-law on the morrow. They told the latter gravely that they disapproved of the match. Sam Choon interposed with a statement of the advantages to follow, with equal gravity. Then they threatened to smash every bone in his carca.s.s. So the marriage was broken off, but without ill-feeling on either side.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LaeLIA, GRANDIS, TENEBROSA. _WALTON GRANGE VARIETY._]

HYBRID CATTLEYAS AND LAELIAS

To right, in the Vanda House, are many hybrids of Cattleya and Laelia; but we have many more, and it will be convenient to notice them all together in this place. Some have not flowered yet, and therefore have received no name; but even of these it is worth while to give the parentage, seeing that there is no official record of hybridisation as yet. Mr. Rolfe at Kew tries hard to keep pace with the enterprise of enthusiastic amateurs and energetic professionals throughout the world. But comparatively few report to him, and not every one files the _Orchid Review_. Thus it happens that experiments carried to an issue long ago are continually repeated, in the expectation of producing a novelty. The experimenter indeed loses nothing save the credit he hoped to win. But in the scientific point of view time is wasted and the confusion of names is increased. To contribute in my small way towards an improvement in this state of things I give a list of the Cattleya and Laelia hybrids at Woodlands, long though it be, and uninteresting to the public at large; a.s.sured that it will be welcome to those who study this most fascinating subject.

I may take the hybrids as they stand, with no methodical arrangement.

L.-C. means the product of a Laelia and a Cattleya, or, somewhat loosely, of a Cattleya and a Laelia. C. means the product of two Cattleyas; L.

of two Laelias.

_L.-C. Ancona_ (Catt. Harrisoniae L. purpurata) represents each parent almost equally, taking after Catt. Harrisoniae in colour and size of sepal and petal; in general shape and in the hues of the labellum after L.

purpurata.

_L.-C. Nysa_ (L. crispa Catt. Warcewiczii).--Pale mauve--the petals have a sharp touch of crimson at the tips. Labellum all evenly crimson with a narrow outline of white, gracefully frilled.

_L. Measuresiana._--A natural hybrid, very rare, a.s.sumed to be the product of L. elegans L. purpurata. Rosy mauve. From the tube, very long, the labellum opens squarely, purple, with a clouded throat and dusky yellow 'eyes.'

_L.-C. Arnoldiana_ (L. purpurata Catt. l.a.b.i.ata). Large, clear mauve.

Petals much attenuated at the ends, which gives them a sort of 'fly-away'

appearance. The fine expanded lip, of carmine crimson, is clouded with a deeper tint round the orange throat.

_L. Claptonensis_ (L. elegans L. Dormaniana).--Small, white with a rosy flush. The long shovel lip is brilliantly crimson, fading to a white edge.

_L.-C. amanda._--A natural hybrid of which Catt. intermedia is one parent, L. Boothiana perhaps the other. Pale pink. The yellow throat and the bright rosy lip show lines of deep crimson, strongly 'feathered' on either side.

_L. Gravesiae_ (L. crispa superba L. praestans).--Small, rosy white.

The spade-like lip is magenta-crimson, wonderfully smooth and brilliant, with two little yellow 'eyes' in the throat.

_L.-C. Tiresias_ (Catt. Bowringiana L. elegans).--The petals are exactly oval, saving pretty twirls and twists at the edges--soft bright mauve, the narrow sepals paler. The funnel lip does not open wide, but in colour it is like the richest and silkiest crimson velvet, almost maroon at the throat; charmingly frilled and gauffered.

_C. Portia._--Parents doubtful, but evidently Catt. Bowringiana is one of them, Catt. l.a.b.i.ata perhaps the other. Sepals and petals lively mauve, the latter darker. The funnel of the lip brightest rose, disc of the softest tenderest crimson imaginable, deepening against the pale yellowish throat.

_L.-C. Tresederiana_ (Catt. Loddigesii L. crispa superba).--Rather curious than beautiful. The narrow petals and narrower sepals are pallid violet; the labellum has a faintly yellow throat, and the dull purple disc of Catt. crispa; not evenly coloured but in strong lines.

_C. Mantinii n.o.bilior_ (Catt. Bowringiana Catt. aurea).--Raised by M.

Mantin. Delicious is a proper word for it--neat and graceful in shape, rosy-crimson in colour. The lip opens widely, exquisitely veined with gold within. It has a golden tinge on either side the throat, and a margin of deeper crimson. The whole colouring is indescribably soft and tender.

_C. Mantinii inversa_ represents the same parentage transposed (Catt.

aurea Catt. Bowringiana).--Small like its mother, of brightest deepest rose. The lip, loosely open above, swells to a fine expanse below, of darker tint. Throat golden, charmingly scored with crimson-brown, like aurea. The disc shows an arch of dark crimson on a rosy ground. It will be seen that the influence of Bowringiana strongly predominates.

_C. Chloris_ (Catt. Bowringiana Catt. maxima) much resembles the above. It is less brilliant, however; the lip does not open so freely, and the arch mentioned, though even darker, is not so effective on a less lively ground.

_L.-C. Fire Queen._--Parentage not recorded. I have not seen this flower, nor even an account of it, but it received an Award of Merit, June 6, 1897.

_L.-C. Lady Wigan_ (L. purpurata Russelliana Catt. Mossiae aurea).--Dainty pink of sepal and petal. From the pale yellow throat issue a number of crimson rays which darken to violet purple in the disc.

_C.-L. Parysatis_ (Catt. Bowringiana L. pumila).--Rosy pink. The funnel-shaped lip opens handsomely, showing a disc of soft crimson with a white speck at the tip.

_L.-C. Robin Measures_ is a.s.sumed to be a natural hybrid of Laelia xanthina Catt. Regnieri, a variety of Catt. Schilleriana. Sepals and petals smooth dainty green, the latter just touched with a suspicion of purple at the tips. It has the shovel lip of Schilleriana, a yellow tube and golden throat, from which descends a line of darkest crimson. The ground-colour of the disc is white, but clouded with crimson-lake and closely barred with dark crimson up to the white edge.

_L.-C. Bellairensis_ (Catt. Bowringiana L. Goldiana).--So curiously like L. autumnalis that a close observer even would take it for that species.

In shape, however, it is more graceful than the pink form, and in colour much more pale than atro-rubens.

_L.-C. Tiresias superba_ (Catt. Bowringiana L. elegans Turneri).--I heard some one exclaim 'What a study in colour!' It is indeed, and in form too--not large, but smoothly regular as pencil could draw. The sepals make an exact triangle, delicate rosy purple, netted over with soft lines.

Petals broad and short, darker. Lip rather long, white in the throat with a faintest stain of yellow, the disc and edges of the lobes glorious crimson-purple, with a dark cloud above which stretches all up the throat.

A gem of beauty indescribable.

_C. Browniae._--Bought as a hybrid of Catt. Bowringiana Catt.

Loddigesii, but it shows no trace of either parent. Very pretty and odd, however. The tiny little sepals are hardly seen, lost behind the huge pink petals. The lip also has pink lobes above a gamboge throat, and a bright crimson-purple disc.

_L.-C. Albanensis._--A natural hybrid, doubtless the product of L. grandis Catt. Warneri. Pale rosy-mauve, lip crimson, deepening as it expands, but fading again towards the margin. A large and grand flower.

_L.-C. Aphrodite_ (Catt. Mendelii L. purpurata).--Sepals and petals pure white. Labellum deepest crimson with rosy tip.

_L. Sanderae_ (L. xanthina L. Dormaniana).--Sepals and petals crimson, lip purplish rose.

_C. Mariottiana_ (Catt. Eldorado Catt. gigas).--Very pretty, dark rose, lip bright crimson with yellow throat.

_L. splendens_ (L. crispa L. purpurata).--Pink. Lip crimson-purple, edged with white, heavily fringed.

_C. Atalanta_ (Catt. Leopoldii Catt. Warcewiczii).--Large and waxy.

Sepals and petals rose veined with crimson, lip bright magenta.

_L.-C. excellens_ (Catt. gigas ocullata L. purpurata Brysiana).--A superb flower, very large, rosy mauve, lip crimson.

_L.-C. Amazon_ (Catt. maxima L. purpurata).--Sepals and petals softly flushed, lip much darker in tone, veined with crimson.

_C. Prince of Wales_ (Catt. fimbriata Catt. Wageneri).--White. The lip amethyst, veined with rose and frilled; throat golden.