[3] As most of the _Odontoglossa_ require to be treated in the same way, I
transcribe, from the 'Guide to Cool-Orchid Growing' (Reeve, 1864), the
following instructions for the culture of the genus:--"They will all
succeed perfectly in a low lean-to house facing the north, the mean
temperature of which need not exceed 60°. They should stand on a shelf
of slate or stone, near the glass, but should always be protected from
the direct rays of the sun. Constant humidity should be maintained by
damping the shelves and floors, but the plants themselves will only
require water in moderation, and what is given to them should pass away
freely, for if it stagnates, or if the compost in which they grow
becomes sodden, the roots will immediately decay. A gentle evaporation
is greatly assisted by placing layers of moss--to be kept damp of
course--on the shelves whereon the plants stand. _Odontoglossa_ cannot
endure wooden blocks, but will thrive in a compost of which one-half
consists of small broken potsherds, the remainder being a mixture of
shredded sphagnum (dusted with fine sand) and fibrous peat. About
one-third of the entire depth of the pots may be filled with this
mixture, the other two-thirds containing nothing but large pieces of
broken pots, so as to admit as much air as possible to the roots. The
pots in which the plants are grown should stand on other pots
(inverted) placed in saucers of water, in order to secure humidity and
protect them from wood-lice. Nearly all the species flower during the
winter or spring months, a circumstance that greatly enhances their
value. Many, _e. g._ _O. pulchellum_, are deliciously fragrant, and the
flowers of nearly all the species remain in perfection for weeks,
whether left on the plants or cut for bouquets. In so vast a genus we
shall, no doubt, meet with many idiosyncrasies, but nine-tenths of the
species will flourish under the treatment indicated above, and which
may be regarded as suitable to the majority of cool Orchids. Most
_Odontoglossa_ are, like the _Masdevallias_, very impatient of the
knife, and cannot therefore be rapidly multiplied. They have also a
peculiar aversion to fumigation by tobacco, which causes their leaves
to fall off."
[4] The idea that _Cuitlauzina pendula_ might possibly be identical with
_Odontoglossum citrosmum_ had more than once occurred to myself, but
Lexarza's character of the flower-scape,--which he described as
"_bracteis destitutus_,"--had always proved an insuperable difficulty.
It seems, however, that the scapes of the other _Odontoglossa_ that he
met with happened to be entirely clothed with large inflated bracts;
our present plant therefore, in which they occur only at long intervals
and are exceedingly minute, may in comparison be said to be almost
"destitute" of them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account