r i i '
n
L Y C A S T E SKINMiRI lmi.
latcmlibiis'obiusaiigiills nncrorsis, lac
iiitra apiccs Uciniarum latcraliuin, TL
MAXIU.AKIA SKINNIÍUI HA
fuUieinibus, ni
Columna niba,
IXNIIUI Lindl. Hot. Rc:
li Pcscatorta, tab. 39 ! ;
, scpalis oblongoligiilatis acutis, Icpnlis b(
i |)ilo5ulo, colli nina trìgona nntlcc puberuln.
I. Bnt. Ucg., 1840, Misc. lOt (p. 48)'Í n "
/illiaros Orcli. Manual, e.1. 6, 3811
. xxix., Misc. p. 15 I ; I'axt, Mag. xi., t I ; Van Moutlc !•
,t. Orel.. Mcx. Cuat,, lii
I ; Wan r Sci. C
:icosUiti, b!-tri|>l>ylli. Folia cuncato oblonco Ugulata, acuta, plicaLi. Pcdunc
tea: loiigiludinis varia;, nunc Ovaria pcdicollala noli icciuanles, sed rarissime. I'lorcí all:
i tcpalis 1 abclloque purpiii«is. Callus albidus scu Ravus. Ubclli lacinia; laltralts mi
ri aiiHcc ¡nirpurca cmargiiiala seu llavcola superne purpureo marginala. N'or locus i
candid issi ra US. N'crvi scpalorum m^ian! CXLUÍ vulgo viridcs. Vcsligia colorís pii
ir, a.|crr¡
li ac in Guatemala. Mexico, J. Linden, 1839 i:Skimiericollcctni
THERE arc some curious incidents in the hi.stoiy of tliis plant as to llie name. As early as 1840 (see Lindl. Bot. Reg.,
1840, 48 I) there appeared a Maxillaria Skinneri, Bateman MSS.: "nearly allied to Maxillaria llarrisonis." " It has a
gentle odour, but the lip is magnificent purply white, with ccntre tigered in deep rose colour." Then aime Lycaste
ci-uenta Lindl.,-Maxillaria cruenta Lindl., Bot. Reg., .842, tab. 13. The letterpress had teen printed before with the
name of Maxillaria Skinneri Lindl. I3r. Lindley had evidently kindly retracted his name to please Messrs. Skinner and
Bateman. Evidence of this is given by some of these prior texts having been kept, as in the library of Leipsic
University. Dr. Lindley, probably by a lapse of memoo', believed this " crnenta" to be the same as Maxillaria Skinneri
Bat., 1840 (see Lindl. Bat. Reg., 1842, Miscell. i i). I cannot believe in this. Lycaste crucnta has never a purple white
lip \dth centre tigered dee]) rose colour. This might answer for Lycaste Skin.ieri, or plana. Finally came our actual
plant, named MuKillaria Skinneri Bat., ••facile princess of all known Maxillarias," as Mr. Bateman said, and only lately
rivalled by Alaxillaria Sanderiana, which can never be imported in quantities, as can Lycaste Skinneri. I believe it to be
a gross mistake to say Mr, Skinner found il first. Some herbaria—my own among thenigathered
r actual knowledge, that it was this scientific
by Möns. J. Linden as early as 1839- There is no doubt, from • ' ' '-
collector who discovered the plant.
H. G. A'M. f
Among the niinierous tropical plants \vith which our gardens were enriched 40 years ago by the celebrated traveller
the late G. Ure-Skinner there is none that has become so popular as the glorious Lycaste which bears his name. So
popular has it become that it is cultivated not only by those who make a specialty of Orchids but also in all good gardens
where hot house plants are grown. As a dccorative plant it has become so well known that it is not inaptly called the
" drawing-room Orchid," and it is so commonly used for adorning rooms because, o
It of the thick wax-like texture
of its noble flowers they are capable of withstjmding the dry atmosphere of a roor
1 better than most other Orchids and