c
But will tlie rarily of Orcbiclaccix-, or the care and attention they require, saffice to explain the strange power ol
lajciantiou which tliej arc felt to po«se.s ? Or is it to he accou.itetl for by the heaaty, the frograncc, or the daruMi t y of
their (lowers 7—or by the prc.cnco of all these qualities coaibiiied ? No i other plants alight be meationcd, as mre, and
as diilicalt of culture, aad scarcely iaterior to them ia personal cliarais, and yet Mey conUI never boast of the tram of
admirers that has lately been attracted round Uiese mis;hty vegetnlile cnchanterj. In what, then, does the sccrct of their
spell consist ? We W sought for it in Tain, ia every source from which floral pleasare ordiaarily sprmgs , - m all
that coastitntes the charm of other plants! Neither caa the question be disposed of by looting merely to the m i lor
wluch Orchiihiceic were designed, and wliicli we believe to have been solely to atlbrd m high and innocent enjoyment:
but it is the m m m to Uiat e n d , - t h e secret of that power which we are now so aaxioas to arrive at. Something it must
clearly be, that forms aot onlv the pride of Orehidaceai, but which at once distinguishes them Irom every other tribe;
and where is . character so marked and peculiar to be found ! - w h e r e , but in the marvellous structure, the grotesque
conformation, and imitative chanicter of their llowcrs? Yes; here we have that which is more than sufficient to
evplnin all the wonder and admiration they have excited; and k e r e , then, we may satcly affirm the seat of their magic
inlluence resides. It now, therefore, only remains for us to prove that the attributes with which we have invested them,
aad from which we bcheve their interest to be derived, are neither idly nor faiicifally ascribed to them; and this, we
appreliead, we shall have but little difficulty ia cllecting.
Accustomed as we are to look upon the animal aiid vegetable kingdoms lis altogether distinct, oar astonishment
may well be awakened, when we see the various forms of the one appropriated by the flowers of the other | and yet
such eneroachments are bat a part of the liberties which these Orchidaceai are perpetually taking; for, as if it were
too simple a matter to imitate the works of N u t „ r e only, they mimic, absolutely mimic, the productions o f a r ! ! But
not contented to rest even here, they display a restless facalty of invention, fully equal to their powers of imitation, aiiil
idler having, like Shakspcare, ••exhausted worlds," like him too, they seem to have "imagined new;" aad thus we
find dieir Qowers exhibiting a variety of straage and nneartlily objeels, siich a.s bear no resemblance to created things,
nor yet to aay of the works of man. Such ii host of examples of dieir freaks in all these departiaents are on record,
that'we scarcely know «here to commence our selection; perhaps, however, it may be well to take first a few of die
more prominent cases, in which they have adopted, as their models, sundry kinds of insects, birds, beasts, fishes, and
reptiles.* We will begin, then, witli the insects; not only because they are the class most frcquenUy imitated, bat
because we may draw a portion of our illustrations from the meadows and pastures of our own country, where, at the
proper seasoa, dies, bees, drones, and spiders-¡- may be seea, which really preseat us witli very striking likenesses
of the originals. From the Tropics we have grasshoppers, mosquitoes, dragon-files, moths, J &c. &c., in the greatest
variety ; aad we have, also, the gorgeous vegetablc-butterfiy of Trinidad, whose blossoms, poised at the extremity of
their long elastic scapes, wanton gaily in the wind, and "seem impatient of that fixtare by which they are dificrenced
in kind from tiie fiower-shnped Psyche that flatters with free wiag above them." jj We come next to the " birds,"
from which the Orchidaccai have borrowed their swaas, eagles, doves, aad pelicans.^ to say nothing of a large
• Our FMmidM wni 1,1, prindHIy dtrivrd from Sonili Atnerlci, íat oi Id World, 111
! Id tlif mueti greater uniforailly in Uie
us u In Ihc Ncv, Amuig llic
U> ™uch n™.Br liguiB oíd mimol Ukcn™. «tqr oie not nsarly m ooir
Mrfoiicoliri,, ÍZfnoBlAfronraeliiil«, imil PíotoioluiioBioirt.- Iliokuer «1 .ulkinii „ «símhl.
. .
Z « (isatl for Iho w m Eorope. m Ü,o rid. «Iloolioi of ü.o M«.,,. Uo,.^,™«, of Tooling. Il 1. ligiir«! lUo ^oiiouimie of Ku-rii.«.; and Üns
"le tonrincrf t)iat aU rach-Iikir Oirliidncc» •]
trilleOre>iidm:(!ie «fUii
of üic " Orieiiuüa " wc muy mention J'anJa
lo a do»ny wlüis malh O":"« ti'« fiowcrtú la
:miK>niiy boLinUt, "ho w; R eadaccrihiu, m yiiiiia cii ¡¡uaiam
1. t» iiA rW pralu m
K t r l
ifl I t r r i palrrfarlo A oc Salj/rium r.
1 £.0, ••fll«" "be«" i» O-opíAra, "dr<ma"m A rrmurVnbb i
Opkn,. «Lf i r a i,« twice ocru-rtú !n the g^rdct of tbo Rcc. T. Bvrr, of Ttrnll.nn,, devotion to tir 0«l.i<kecn, of Eoropo <m,i [Vortl, Amen« folly eq.ml lo
llial «í wn.c of ids conlemponiri« for lliow of the toirid looc. Tht:. floren of f>. miKri/t^a bear, it ii kBown, a .tnking rraeniblxmee lo
ic yeo™ iinci, one of üii. dc«riplioii ito, ol.KTved by Mr. Butt to Klüe for dny. logctier on o Wo»om of ll.
n (and Ikol lu
i) tpcciM of fly ; aad so
H- of iK o<11 kind. Kor «ereral rammcj»a fter»«rd», aJtl.migli tha Orchi. continued lo lluwct, th
.«ycnr, howevCT, ilVMngai« olaCTvcd Dt il» poil, whwc ll reniained, a» bcfarc, for tevcral daj-i iii iiic«Mion.
I Tbe columiL. of toojiy of Ibe C a i m f l u m and otiier gcnens make ««nem " Graahoiipcn." " MoKiuiloci " are borne by Triehcttro. mlnmfrr. c
MmîimUo of llic Pcmvùm» ; " Drogon-fli« " b>- lUncnlhcta «racA/ii/« ; " ifoûi. " by P M ^ o p . ! . c m M I t . S:c. Sic. 1 nKCt-likc " Afiwnr
fiowen of I i r , l r i p h , a»to.../rro, and an uni)iibli.lied Mcïican F.pijtndrum (P.. Liod. MSS.) diKorcred by Mr. ni;»CM»A
LiXDiET, Aod of Potr. io and E^oucut», (ihough u.
kinds of Hic«.
re alio conipiciioiu In üic
. Tlic Genera Ali/anl/iut iil
m the reumbliuicc uf llieir flowcn lo dilfcrent
II C<.Mdoc: " A i à . to !lrJl.clion." Tbo " Ilt.llerflyplanl of Trinidad, i. Ihc no» «ell-known O n M m ^ papiUo, ll had i.ol flewored in lUU catn.lry ni ll>o tin.o tl.o
0 Iteñtrtioii " were writlcn, otherwUe we miglil liove iuppowd il lo liave been ii > " Ancient ìlan e ppDiicd die p
S •'SwMi«" are fotind in ImiIi iho ireric of CycMCÌri (vide Tsb, V,): "dore^•' in Peri.lmo 'Mn ; " l'.licaai,-' In nn uninUoducid Meiican C.ypripfdim«
(C. L» Liirt,) wlueli, from lite great r«etnbl.nce of il.flt. wo™t„ tlie bird t;f limi name, is .lyied by tbe naÜTC " Flor de l'eUeiino." A. lo the " EagW
tlioyhava noi yel come uni^ ll.e c^izance of any pi»f«ed l««inirt; b.il a fine Orelmiaeca -ilici, l.a. been impcrled from Jam.lea by llmt walou. eolleelor,
Mr. IloBirAi-i., of Liv«pool. U alwaji lyoken of u Üie «pread eagla " by Ü.e iiiliabiüml. of thai island. Unforlunulcly, lUe pluiil :|1 In
hai hilhcrln refiued Ui lluwer ; imd,
thcTcrore, wo hive bud no opportimily of judging lio« far il deierre» iu ÜÜe,
assortment of wings, feathers, beaks, and bills.« From the boasts they have not copied (|uilc so freely as from tliu
birds, yet resemblances may be traced to tigers, leopards, lynxes, bulls, rams, and monkeys, and even to man h!mseir.+
In the catalogue of reptiles we find an endless variety of snakes, lizards, toiuls, and frogs, J Of shells, likewise, tlierc
are many kinds.§ Tlien follows a mixed multitude of masks, co\vls, lioods, caps, and helmets; swonis, spurs, cresU,
pikes, arrows, and lances; whiskers, eyelashes, beards, bristles, tails, horns, and teeth; combs, slippers, buckets, trowels,
pouches, saddles. See. &c.|l Nor is this mimicking propensity confined to the flowers alone, being cf^ually conspicuous in
their leaves and pseudo-bulbs, which have been likened to onions, cucumbers, bamboos, and palms; tongues and mousetails
hooks, whips, and straps; s\vords and needles, &c. &c. Of some the leaves are inscribed with Arabic characters,
of others the roots are cased in coral.^
Such are Orchidacea: as distributed through the world at large; it now only remains to notice them when
confined within the limits of Mexico and Guatemala. And in so doing our attention will at once be attracted by the
prominence of the particular tribe of E p i d e m l r v a i , which, althougii greatly surpassed in other countries by the Vumi c K
and M a l a x i d e w , may here challenge a comparison with either, not merely in number of species, but in the interest
and beauty of tlieir flowers. To the truth of the latter propositioi\ the illustrations of this work bear ample testimony,
the very choicest subjects being derived from tiie ranks of that dominant tribe. ^Vhat, for example, can exceed the
magnificence of such plants as L s l i a superbiens, E p i d e m l r t i m mac rochUum, B a r k e r i n .ipectabUis, or C a l l k i j a SIci i ineri . ' * "
Or what can be more graceful than E p l d e n d r u n i a r o m a l k u m or E . erubt 'scens. ' The splendid genera L w l i a and B a r k e r i n
are almost exclusively Mexican, and where shall tvo hope to find fonns of more perfect elegtince, pencilling of more
exquisite delicacy, or colours of more sparkling lustre than their various flowers display !
But these regions so unusually rich in E p i d c n d r e a ; are far from poor in other tribes. Here O n c i d i u m flourishes in
the greatest variety and beauty, while S t a n h o p e a , Odontoglosmm, and M a x i l l a r i a put on their most showy attire, and
M a r m o d e s , C y cnoche s , and C a i a s e l u m their most marvellous forms.f f The terrestrial species, also, are both numerous
and beautiful, but the greater difficulty tliat attends their inti'oduction and cultivation has unfortunately narrowed our
acquaintance with them. The Pelican-flower { C y p r i p e d h t m I r a p w a n u m ) and Goveni a capUala. wt h many other plants
of extraordinary interest, are still included amongst our desiderata, notwithstanding that every exertion lias been made
to obtain thera. A splendid exception, however, occurs in S o b r a l k i macrantha, already the pride of British collections,
though far from haring attained the vigour which distinguishes it in its native haunts, wiiere it is no unusual thing to
meet with thickets ten feet high, composed entirely of its reed-like stems.
The only other peculiarity of Mexican Orchidaceic to which it is necessary to advert, is the circumstance of their
being more abundant in the liigher latitudes and purer air, than in the hot and pestiferous jungles of the coast. They
havc°even been found in situations where snow not unfrequently falls, of which O n c i d i u m n u b i g u n u m and L w l i a aupcrbiens
are conspicuous examples. This power of withstanding a certain degree of cold must be regarded as a most important
circumstance, especially by those—a numerous class, no doubt-^vho have hitlierto only admii'ed Orchidaceic at a
distance, and been deterred from attempting their cultivation by the heat and expense that ordinarily attend it.
• The mlmnn in mo>l Orcliidaeooui plaiiu ha»
beauty in tiie yarioii. qieci« of OmiUxoctphalm, all of
Uk« a pnrrol. and U Li.»ve ni rdingly.
'riie skin, of the liger and llie leopard am rival!«! liy ihe pouU of .a»h plant, as Slanho,.
(nhieli oan be no oilier tbaii Ihe Slanliopra A/arliana oflhii work) ii to eaüod from lU lvn>
aboot iu f«:e- and voriou. Catoe(o-C. « m i n f ^ u m wpecially-grin liko llie uglie.t monkey. Àcra. aMr o p o / f r a , ilie n.an-oteltls, is a well-known plant. Kven
«xUnel nnimal« do not always «cape: a geologist weidd iiiilaiilly reeogni« ll.e head of a Dinolirrium in ll.e Bower, of ,1,/rctla.
I P l ^ r ^ M l ù ophio^^hala has a sir,;,.g resemblanco lo a .erpenf. head, and PhoUJoia Mrical. an .tjually slrcg r.«mblanee lo a rattlesnake-, mil. I.l«nl.
occur ill PUunlhallU saur^/phahi and E p i d n d n m lacrrlinum, and frogs In £;<rAii.iri/m n n i f ' T a m .
X j / s i p t l a l u n cockleart, P.pititndrum neUialim, aud Pholiilila ConeAoii/eu af a. prouy sp is also a
II n.c gtMiera CoiyaniA«, Copjfciu", /lonoi»», Ptltm
must look 10 MormoJ» alropurp^rfa.- for cowl, to -Ifo^ioco,
m carry large bngs and pooelies
ns in Oneidiim cthelUla; eueuinbenii. D
mes from caps and helmeti, which llicy yield abundantly. Fer hideous mask, we
iico/or and elriilui swnrds ui.d pilic« and oll.cr weapom of war are iiipplied iu
« uUigtruai, and many mere, aro provided widi gM«l .oddle^ and a host of i'artnili
in Dtadrobiam Vvgurforme and D. myoiunu : hooks it. A r p ,
needles In E p i M r u « aciculare: .«or.U, 'H.e noine of
Ili in An^cum f<
1« ipiralua,- wliips In M<uiUaria (doit Snxticaria)
^mmatoph'jUum irriplam rrocluini» lu ¡leouUarities (somowliat laulologically); Caralhrhaa olso,
. . In the establidiment of Me«r,. l.ouoioes ihis plant ho. produced elu.ter, of flo»«. as lorgc as a ma,,-, head. In lli. «im« collection, CaUUya e£<ri«-ol
old so tefraclory-luu heen fo.nid lo succeed perfectly by merely inTerting ihc plant (whe.i .uspe.ided), and pennilliiig il lo grew downwards.
11 Up i n u . S . jrandr. ai.d ,Vo«ffano S U m . r i , all belonging lo Tanrfrtr, are unrivalled for the beau.y aad magnitude el
llieir flowers. llu-ullitinu«,. flgured in Uic " Bol.nical Mngaiiiie,- Is. perliaps. tli
mass« of widllsli green Hewer» l.nve n striking effecL
.e Cataula. at least if se ts large ptndnlo