CYPRIPEDIUM (HYBRIDUM) CASTLEANUM ROI/C.
mCypr :. supcrbicns, Rchb. f, and quite intermediate in characler, The
iroiii. Dorsul 5cp.->l ovate, obtuse, inches Icng by i>i Indies
t base. Petals widely sijrcadinj;, 2 % in dies long, linear-oblong,
m spots on basal half. Lip a little eompressed at sides, nearly 2
small maroon spots. Staininode with broad rounded base and
id., Jan. 10, 1891, p. 35 i Castle in Journ. of Hort-, 1850, pt. 2, p,
_ _ _ th darker reticulated veins,« to 8 inches long by
broad, light matoon-purple, with darker nerves, a white margin, and a few minute
ciliate, light green at base, passing into matoon-purple towards apex, with numero'
inches long, dull maroon-purple in front, paler behind, tlic infolded side lobes wii
three blunt, short feclh at apex, palest green with slightly darker reticulated nerve
CiPKii'iiuii/M (hybridum) CASTLEANUJI, Rolfc, Card. Chron., Dec. 13, LI
513; id., 1891, pt. 1, p. loi, fig. 19.
This beautiful hybrid was raised by Mr. Maynard, in the colIcclion of Mes-srs. F. Sander & Co., of St Albans, where it nowered for the first ti
December, 1890. It bears some resemblance to C- i'ltiseri and C. (lorphyroglossa, though more briglitly coloured, and there is a peculiarly soft and pit
bluish-purple tint over parts of the flower which is quite unique. Tlie dorsal sepal, though quite intermediate in sliai>c, is mucli darker in colour than •
have been expected from the parentage. The petals are much fiatter than in the mother plant, which they othenvisc somewhat resemble, but tlie spots <
extend to the apex as in C. superbiens. The lip and staminodc also closely i-esenible the last-named species. It is a decidcd horticultural acquisition, i
dedicatetl to Mr. Lewis Castle, of the Jtmrnat of Hortimllim. K. A. Rolfe.
Our analytical drawings represent the
HYBRID Cypripediums havens rapidly advanced in popularity as their numbers and range of variation have been increased,
for there seems to be no limit to the combinations of form and colouring that can be effected in this genus by the skill of
the hybridist. Few orchids respond so readily and so accurately to the intentions or desires of the operator, and in the
majority of cases it is comparatively easy to foretell what will be the result of any particular experiment in crossing. In
many instances the seedlings raised from one cross show a distinctly intermediate character as regards the two parents,
but yet exhibit considerable variation .amongst themselves either in depth and richness of colour, or in the prominence of
the markings. It is seldom that one seedling only reaches the flowering period, and this alone would render Cypripedium
Castleanum especially interesting, as the plant which produced flowers in December, 1890, was the unique result of a
cross between C. hirsutissimum and C. superbiens. As an addition to the list of cultivated Cypripediums this hybrid
will, however, be chiefly valued for its remarkable colouring, which is rendered very distinct by the blue-purple sufi"usion
characterising the whole flower. Seen under a bright light, this at once excites astonishment amongst those who know
how rarely blue enters largely into the comjiosition of the prevailing coloration. It seems at first glance that the
possibility of obtaining a blue Cypripedium is very remote, but in some families of plants blue-flowered forms have been
secured from less promising parents than C. Castleanum and one or two others. The hybrid here figured must, however,
be regarded as a decided advance in the direction indicated, and this, in combination with its neat form, will always
entitle it to a prominent position amongst the rarer hybrids.
Our plate was taken fiom a plant in the collection of R. H. Measures, Esq., The Woodlands, Streatham, London,