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L / E L I A AUTUMN A L I S UM. XANTHOTROI'IS RM./.
L.-ELIA AUTUiiNALis, Lindl.: pseudohulbis atl
trifîdi laciiiiis poslicîs «roiovalis anlice rccungulis, la
parcissiinc punclulato, bractcis lance is acutis.
t. gl; l.indl. Bot. Rcg., x:
:r lacinias latcralcs, ovario glabro sou
; I ; Hook. B. Mag., xvil, 1841. 3f!47 ! ;
Pscuclobulbi nnillo longiora? ac valiijiorcs, quam in t.oelia fiirfuracoa, Lindi. Folia spitilaina;a, imo longiora, latiora, nng\isl!nni.
bipcdaìis, validus, squamatus, apice racomosii.s. lìractta: longlores, angusliorcs, quam in La.-lia furfuracca, acuminata;, non obliiwta:, Tolui lloa lii:lc
ainclhystino purpureas, labe Ili lacinia: laterales alba:, carina; albn:. Maculn; qua;ilam atmpiirpurea; in label li ba.i. Se pala ligulata neu m in« la. Topaia
cuncato-oblongo-lanccolala acuta, cuneo bene longiori, quam in La:lia Airfuracea. I.abelli lacinia: laterales erectn.', nunc in labcllo cxpanso rcctanifula;, nunc
antice, nunc basin usque, c'olumna semilercti trigona alba. Androclinium immérauin, limbo croniilatiim scu lobulatuin, postice apiculalum. Basis columna;
ampliata. Catidiculas srpius repori postice bitidas, antico simiilicitcr acutas,
Crcscit in Mexico ; Pavon I Hartweg I Oaxaca, Karwinski I Morella ; Beaucoup de localités. Sur Ics chéncs et sur Ics laves, dans les localitds (|u'on
nomme Malpai.i, il couvre quelquefois uno tré..; grande- iStonJuc. Octobre, Novembre. I.es liulicns l'appellent "/lur de todos santos," parccqu« vere la
Toussaint sa nomison est la plus belle. Gliiosbrcght 1
VA«. XANTHOTKOPIS ; foliis brevioribus, minoribus, tepalis latissìniis, labclli lacinia antica transversa, carinis llavis.
Pianta egregie dubia. N'um inter Uclian autumnalcm et rurfumccam hybrida ? //. G. KM./.
TRAVIILLF.RS tell us that La:lia nutumnalis is so highly esteemed by the native Mexicans, by whom it is callcii Ihc Flor
cle los Santos (Flower of All Saints), that they adorn their churches with it on- feast days during the lowering season,
notwithstanding the fact that the journey from the towns to the haunts of this Orchid often occupies from two to three
days. Sometimes the natives save themselves the annual journey by bringing the plants from the mountains to their
gardens, where they fasten thein to the tree.s. These plants arc often enormous masses from 8 ft. to 20 ft. in circumference.
European botanical collectors have looked upon these huge plants with envious eye.s, and have occasionally been
successful in making a bargain with their owners and have sent home the established jjlants. This is how Bartholomaeus,
our collector, managed to secure such grand masses of this Lailia as he did some years ago.
It is not surprising that a plant possessing such great beauty as to delight an Indian should become a favourite in
European gardens. For nearly half a century it has been an occupant of English glasshouses, and even now, notwithstanding
the contintious stream of new candidates for public favour, it still remains unrivalled among autumn-flowering
Orchids. It was first flowered in England by the Duke of Bedford, at Woburn, in 1838, and, as may be imagined, it
charmed everyone who saw it. It has become tolerably common in good gardens ever since, but there was no marked
variation from the original type until a few years ago, when a wonderful variety \vas imported from Mexico, possessing
larger flowers and of an intensely deep crimson purple colour, varying also in the size and shape of the bulbs. This
variety is named atrorubens, and is now far commoner than the ordinar>' form. Our portrait shows a variety which
Prof. Reichenbach has named xanthotropis, and it possesses singular beauty, the flowers being wax-like, and of a delicate
shade of rose-pink, with a flush of purple crimson on the end.s of the sepals and petals. The flowers lange in size from
three to four inches across, and the number of flowers on the spike varies from three to eight. They are very fragrant and
continue in perfection for two or three weeks. The flowering season occurs between the end of July and the end of
August. Our plate shows the natural habit of the plant, the rigid leathery foliage and drooping spikes being characteristic
of the variety. The bulbs are ovate and larger than those of its near relative, L. ftirftiracea, which is, moreover,
distinguished in growth by its furrowed bulbs and pale green leaves.
This Lajlia inhabits the mountains of Colima, in Mexico, at from 6000 ft. to 7000 ft. elevation, and is found principally
near Oaxaca, where so many of the Mexican Orchids occur. It grows on rocks and on dec rep id old oaks, generally
exposed to the full sun, indeed, the more exi>osed they are the finer the plants .seem to be. As to its requirements under
cultivation, we, in Europe, still seem to lack knowledge, for although Orchid growers are tolerably .successful in flowering
the imported plants for a few seasons after they reach us from Mexico, they, as a rule, soon begin to deteriorate. One of
the reasons for this, no doubt, is that we do not give the plants siiflicient air and light, and also do not water them suflicicntly
during their active growth, and we shade the plants. It is one of those Orchids requiring all the sun, air and water
that can be given them while making their annual growth, therefore should never be shaded, and if the house is well
ventilated it matters not if the temperature reaches as high as 90 deg. or 100 deg. F, in the day, but during the night the
temperature must be allowed to fall naturally and not be maintained by aitificial heat. The plants should be hung close
under the roof of the house so that these conditions may be carricd out easily. The growing period extends from May till
October, then comes the resting season, extending throughout the winter till .spring. During rest the plants must not have
a drop of water and should be kept cool, that is to say, the tcmperattire may fall as low as 50 deg. F., and shotild not be
kept much higher by artificial heat. During the growing season the plants should be syringed well before the sun shines
on them in the morning, and again during late afternoon. This L?elia, in Orchid collections, is usually grown in the
Cattleya house in summer, and wintered in a corridor, or some such cool and diy place, but we have seen it grown
admirably in a plant stove with other plants, and even in forcing houses during summer. We repeat what we consider
the essential conditions to be observed in the culture of this Orchid : abundant sunlight, air and water during growth,
no shading in summer, and no artificial heat in winter except suflicient tn exclude frosts.