li:
received by Mr. BAKKKII in l!ie early part of 1837, and fiowered Avith him in liic course of the follo^^^ng
summer: urn! as it proved to be iindescribed, we at oncc spive il the name of its Tortiinatp possessor, than
whom i5otany lias not a more zealous or libcnd i'ricnd.
Four species of this stately genus have new found their way into European collections.* of which number
two [P. pcndula and P.ccrina) arc natives of liritish Guiana, another {P.elaia) inhabits the Istlumis of
Panama, and so comes within the scope of our work, while the fourth {P.Bnrkeri) was found, as we have
already stated, in the neiiilibourhoocl ol" Xalapa in New Spain. P. cerina is, perhaps, the most nearly allied
to the subject of this article, but differs from it in having the middle lobe of its labellum fringed instead of
entii'e, and also in its short densely flowered racemes, which are not one-fourth so long as those of Perhlerin
Bnr/iCri, on which also die tlowers are verj" loosely scjitlered.
All the species of I'cristeria are of easy cultivation and Hower freely. To gi-ow them, however, to perfection,
a powej-ful heal, plenty of water, and abimdance of pot-room are indis]5ensable: indeed, unless the latter
circumstancc be especially attended to, tlic shoots will every year grow weaker luid weaker until at lust tiiey
have become so feeble as to be quite incapable of throwing up a flower-scape. lieing of a sub-terrestrial
nature, it will not be necessiuy to mi.\ so large ¡i proportion of broken potsherds with the lumps of fibrous
peat in which they sire to be planted, as is usual uod advisable for tlie majority of the true epiphytes. Supposing
the ])]ants to have entirely lillctl with tlieir roots the largest pots which can be procured, it will be
necessarj" to rephmt, after having previously divided Uiem: a cruel alternative certainly, but preferable to
witnessing their gradual decline : and, happjly, such sacrifices a r e not often required, as most of the plants of
this onler, -when once established in a pot of moderate dimensions, may be permitted to remain unmolested
for a great number of years.
Peristeria elala^ on which Sir W. HOOKER founded the genus, is, in point of habit, the most striking
Orchidaceous plant yet in our collections, where il stands without a rival in the huge size of its leaves and
pseudo-bidbs: its flower, also, is celebrated for tlie strong resemblance it bears to a dove, which, in the superstitious
atmosphere of its native wilds, ha.s procured for it the appellation of " el Spirilo Santo," and likewise
of course no small share of veneration. The art however of producing doves, not having been inherited by
any other member of the family, we have ventured, in our Mgnelte, to copy a Hower of the original species
from the admirable figure ol' it in the Botanical Magaidne ; to which we would beg to refer our readers, as the
wood-cut underneath, being necessarily uncoloured, scarcely does just ice to the charms of the plant or binl,
as the case may be.
* As iQ eccoiiragcment lo those wlio go OIK in (cardi of Tropical OrchidacciD, i( may be vccll u
plants was known lo »cicnce at tlie morneiil of iu pnlroduciion.
l' I