I , / 1 I U A ANCEL'S
VARs. S T E L L A AVM/ AND B A R K F . R I A N A Lim«.
L/KUIA ANCBPS Linrtl, ; pscudobiilbi's oblongotclraqiictris. mono- diphyllis, pcdiinciilQ ancipili dense vajimto racemoso, uni- |>.iiicinoro, bmc
lijfuUtospalhaccis aciilis ovjirin gluiiiiosa icquainibus, labcUo trillilo, Uciiiiis lalcralibiis ol>loiig<ilrl!iiigulis iiivolutii, lacinia mediana oUlonKolif;u!aiii pom
° lÌ u a ANCErrUncIUiot. Reg, xxi., 1751 ! ; HooW. Hot. Mag., tab. 3804 ! ; I'axl. Mn«. ¡v., lab. 73 ! ; Warner, Williams, Moore, Otch. Alb., ii„ Ub.
HlI'TIA ANCEI'S Rclib. f., Walp. Ann. vi., p. 41S ! ; Xcnia Orcliidaccii ii., 75 I
I'.iciidobiilbi in singub's varietatihus ultcriiis dsscribend! nunc valdc abbreviali, nunc clong«li. Folia valile coriacea, oblongoligiilata obtuse ac
margine integerrima, ubi solí expósita vaidc obscura brunneopurpurata, l'cdiinculus clatiis, ancc|)s, apice uni- sexiflorus, Sepaia ligulaUi acula, c:
viscosa. Telóla bene latiora, oblonga acuta. Flos lypicus intense roscopiirpureuí. Discus iiiler lacinias l.-itcralcs c( callus xaniliini. I.ine.-v alrupurpi
cxlrorsuin radiata ac nunc longitudinales in disco .•janlliino. Callus cicvalus linearis anticc tridcnlatus in basin lacini.-i: media: excurrcns, denle medio long
Lacinia antica excepto callo obscure atropurpúrea. In basi lacinias antica: circa carinas areola alba, scu flaveola, siepe cvanidii. Columna albida su
Crescit in Mexici arboribus pra;cipuc in quercubus. Primi legisse Ruii e
14: ! Licbmann I In monte Orizaba frequentissima dicitur.
TAR-Stei-LA Uclib. f, in Card. Chron., 18S7, Match S. P- 3'SL: albiHora, pseudobuIbis
ilrorsum curvatls, lacinia mediana cuncata dilatala emarginato biloba. La;lia ancei» Wilti
;c. Consulon Kicnasl Zcclly, Hirslanden, Zürich.
il (Herb. Boissier! Rchb, f.l) GliieabrcglitI Galeoni
Fig. a.
i. B.^RKEKIAN'A, I. ,t. Reg. K i., 1947 ! : a
IN figuring these two varieties in one piate we thought it would be interesting to show, side ljy side, the oldest and one of
tlic newest varieties of l.Klia anceps, as well as the darkest and the lightest flowered. They may be said to represent the
extreme links in the long chain of beautiful varieties we now possess, the others representing in colour every intermediate
shade, from the intensely deep purple of Barkeriana to tiic ivory white of Stella; nnil we can go even beyond Sfella, for
that rare albino L. anceps alba has Rowers in which even the delicate pcncillings seen in the labelium of Stella are absent.
All the named varieties of L. anceps are so beautiful that no one can be justly said to surpass another, but for richness of
colour there is none to rival the superb variety which was first flowered by the late Mr. Barker, of Birmingham. This
was nearly fifty j'cars ago, and it is singular that out of the thousands of plants of this Lffilia that have been importeil
since, and which have yielded many distinct varieties, not one can compare with Barkeriana in point of colour. Several
have been flowered from time to time that were almost as dark as Barker's but they lacked the distinct form of flower. It
is therefore needless to say that the true Barkeriana is still, and probably will remain, one of the rarest of Orchids. The
variety Stella is the most recent addition to the forms of this La:lia, and was introduced by us in 1885. The beauty of
its flowers is well shown in our plate, although it is impossible to reproduce by colour printing the pure wax-like
texture of its flowers. Of all the varieties of L. anceps this has the largest flowers, and it may therefore be readily
distinguished from its near relative the variety Williamsiana by size alone. It flowers naturally more freely than the
other form's and bears five and six flowers on a stem. It is one of the latest varieties to bloom, not generally flowering
before March; Barkeriana, on the contrary, is the earliest, usually flowering in December, and lasting, as do all the
varieties, a month or six weeks in perfection. Both varieties inhabit the mountainous coast regions of Mexico. Our
collector tells us that Stella is invariably found growing on trees, \vhilst other varieties grow on rocks.
Details of the cultural treatment required for L. anceps and its varieties are given with Plate 31, representing
L. anceps Percivaliana.