File:About orchids; a chat (1893) (14596562668).jpg

Identifier: aboutorchidschat00boyl (find matches)
Title: About orchids; a chat
Year: 1893 (1890s)
Authors: Boyle, Frederick, b. 1841
Subjects:
Publisher: London, Chapman and Hall
Contributing Library: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden
Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden

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olate here a profound observation ofMr. Roezl. That wonderful man remarked thatOdontoglossums grow upon branches thirty feetabove the ground. It is rare to find them atthirty-five feet, rarer at twenty-five ; at greaterand less heights they do not exist. Here, doubt-less, we have the secret of their reluctance tofertilize; but I will offer no comments, becausethe more one reflects the more puzzling it becomes.Evidently the seed must be carried above andmust fall below that limit, under circumstanceswhich, to our apprehension, seem just as favourableas those at the altitude of thirty feet. But they donot germinate. Upon the other hand, Odonto-glossumiS show no such daintiness of growth inour houses. They flourish at any height, if thegeneral conditions be suitable. Mr. Roezl dis-covered a secret nevertheless, and in good time weshall learn further. To the Royal Horticultural Society of Englandbelongs the honour of first importing orchidsmethodically and scientifically. Messrs. Weir and
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^ >^ p en ^ (U < ti o2 < 1 73 ^ D • ?^ 0 j 2 2 u :s b a; en ^ CO o 3 ■-3 Oo 1 H i ^ Fh o S5 q ^ o COOL ORCHIDS. 67 Fortune, I believe, were their earliest employes. Another was Theodor Hartweg, who discovered Odontoglossuni crispiun Alexandrce in 1842 ; but he sent home only dried specimens. From these Lindley described and classed the plant, aided by the sketch of a Spanish or Peruvian artist, Tagala. A very curious mistake Lindley fell into on either point. The scientific error does not concern us, but he represented the colouring of the flower as yellow with a purple centre. So Tagala painted it, and his drawing survives. It is an odd little story. He certainly had Hartwegs bloom before him, and that certainly was white. But then again yellow AlexandrcHes have been found since that day. To the Horticultural Society we are indebted, not alone for the discovery of this wonder, but also for its introduction. John Weir was travelling for them when he sent living specimens

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