" Four
seasons had passed when I beheld the marvel, and it was a picture of
health and strength, flowering freely; but the reader is not advised to
introduce a few Phaloenopsis to his Odontoglossums--not by any means.
Mr. Williams himself never repeated the experiment. It was one of those
delightfully perplexing vagaries which the orchid-grower notes from time
to time.
There are rare species of this genus which will not be found in the
dealers' catalogues, and amateurs who like a novelty may be pleased to
hear some names. _Ph. Manni_, christened in honour of Mr. Mann, Director
of the Indian Forest Department, is yellow and red; _Ph. cornucervi_,
yellow and brown; _Ph. Portei_, a natural hybrid, of _Ph. rosea_ and
_Ph. Aphrodite_, white, the lip amethyst. It is found very, very rarely
in the woods near Manilla. Above all, _Ph. Sanderiana_, to which hangs a
little tale.
So soon as the natives of the Philippines began to understand that their
white and lilac weeds were cherished in Europe, they talked of a scarlet
variety, which thrilled listening collectors with joy; but the precious
thing never came to hand, and, on closer inquiry, no responsible witness
could be found who had seen it. Years passed by and the scarlet
Phaloenopsis became a jest among orchidaceans. The natives persisted,
however, and Mr. Sander found the belief so general, if shadowy, that
when a service of coasting steamers was established, he sent Mr.
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