New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-10-03

varieties Of hese cprious plsntF AID ~ Se pfesune
all our readers no have lot the opportunity to see
them win be elsd TO know something f Their nature
and appearance we have spent some tins IN Kamniug
the plants AID searching their histo y.
London that greatest Of botsni 'sl encyclopedias
vrtes more folly upon their vsIis les th any other
re,son hut the frsgmer,3ry history shicb he found
psce for 10 his cumbrous volume with the aid Of
NJ. copiOus quotations from Batman, Is far too brief
In Demersrs tbs, desdiest snd iosiiiou, of all
oisons WOura, thickened by vicid juice Of one
Of the orchdsce'e and in Amboyns says Bstemau the
true "Elxir Of Love lie prepared from the mioute
faripa-like seeds Of Grsumatophyllu svecio.um 10
sppsrstiious Mexico, the sentimental people give to
the plants mystc power Of speaking the language Of
grief and Joy, of friendly greeting love- aud bitter
hatred, and evea tndoe the spriu-sauctu species with
holy influence. Not infant is baptized not
risge celebrated not funeral obssquy performed at
which the aid of these flowers is Loi invoked to give
expression to their feelnes they are offered by
the dsvotee at the shine Of bis fvorte saint by the
lover at the feet Of his mistress and by the ~lg
survivor at the grave of HE friend Whether 10 short,
on fast dsys or feast days occasion Of rejoicing or
In moments of distress these flowers are sought for
and regarded as udispsr sable. Flor de los Ssutos
" Flor De Corpus" Flor De los MGsros," Flor de
Maio," No me olyides" lforeet-me. sre bot few
names Of the msny which might be c ed to prove the
high consideration in which the are held ia the
new world In the East Iudes Rduphius tels us with
every appearance Of sefssursncs the flowers shrink
from contact with persons Of ow casts Displaying their
glo1ies and shedding their perfumes only @hen worn
by princesses or la6is Of high degr.e To Honda as
sgsin, the large hollow CIV indrieal stalks Of fine
species are mace into tumPets by the children Of the
country, and pour forth the tortured notes 10 ftful
doods
Thus il would eeem &c if the sir Ilau was not ere.
sted for the profit Of beyond pleasing MS Of
sight and sml is it Of advautsge food for ami
mails. Bot nature ever mindful # the wants Of hu-
mainly has made even some of this curious family Of
plants subssivitni TO human comfort. The bulbs Of
the MRxilsIia bicolor contain large quantity of an
insipid waiery Auid, which il greeiy sacked by the
poor natives Of Peru in the dry season similar aid
is extracted from another variety ia Mexico which is
us6d q cooling dTsught IN fovtrs; 10 Ne Zealand
certain species Of considerable value esculeats
snd MI Bateman even say THAI in G uisrs the soles
Of the shoemaker are as much Indebted to the v.cid
rusttsr obtained from the Catesetums sud Cyrtopo-
diums, as are the poisoned arrows of The Ildisns.
OF all the strsr properties Of tote f4mils of plants
that of taking resemblance to various objects Of the
s1imh kingdom is perhaps the N st striking Says
writer in 40 old Volume Of London magazine, these
shspas are q 20 sirar gelv varied that
Eye Of lie st and toe Of frog
are the least singular Of the To- lie covering 10
the boeom of their petals the heacs Of unknown AMI.
mails reptiles Of uOhearc-Of figures, coils of snakes
rsing AS if to dart upon the curious observer may all
e seen In the blossoms Of the various species whose
very flowers msy be hkened 10 unssrthly insects
the wing" This language may rather il-cboseo,
bat even the cool-headed LoudoD remarks that - in
our native species find the be- fig, spider lizard,
rAn &C., surprisingly initiated; and in those OF
warmer climates sWaDs, eagles ooves p-iicans, aud
other birds" The wonderful flower called " The
holy Ghot plaut lie Of this species, and many OF our
readers viii be able TO attest from personal exsna-
tion the strange resemblance the specimens sometimes
bear 70 a gentle dove desceDdiDg on spread pnions
from the sky. Wbat wo5der then that THE aud other
vsrs les should be regarded with wonder aud 'eveegcs
by supe itous cages Ia India the higher Varieties
such as srides vsndIes saccOlabiuns are chosen by
she higher cassss while the oounOneT varieties Of
Oncdia. an6 epideDdrons suhce mscia0rs bet Eeen
The lower q" mu'sIls and their augry gods
The orchids are divided ltO two great classes-ter
resrsl and epiphyres. The former which are common
in our and more northern ati udss and of which
the lady slipper is type grows Like any otler pisos,
IN the ground 10 draw nutrition, propagate, and
laudss where they cling to the trunks of living or
dead trees OF both these classes there are many va
rie,ies and in fact II is staed in Appleton's Nav
American Cycopda bat of the latter there are found
in Java alone three hundred vari-tes The tropical
vsrjeti.s were introduced into England about tf'y
vesrs ago but only came into tbec gresen popularity
within the past twenty years TIE Oc varieties were
VaHdateyes and OncidiuBl feruOsum with few
eIidendrC Ms bat the busy agens Of the London nur'
se1ymen and the Kew Botanic ! Ga -dsDs found oew
and more strange sud beautiful varieties in the sI
tudes of Jsvsn or AnazCDiar fore-ts AID seat them
home 20 create popular enthusiasm, as more recently
the Legouiss have done. FroD the East l'olas the
,SgccOlaJiua gUttQtUm Ph0iOnOps5S 0Eaab1tsS and
gyand,fora were very beautiful, and gained much
attention smoDg many varieties, sDo suoog those
from the West Ipdies came OdoHtogt0Ssum, CGhd'
and the beautiful Sfanhope0, whose fame spread
quickly among amsteuIs
When or BIZ whom they were frgt introduced into
the green houses of this country oaunot say 10
less the honor be due 70 the late Thomas Hogg sr.,
who imported 100 varieties many years ago, aud Gull
waited them for bis pleasure with success. They
attracted ltLe attention uotl a few Specimens were
exhibited by DR. james Kusht we understand, at
Horticultural Show at Old Cuion Hal five years ago,
sDcs which time they have come into gre favor
The Doctor biussf encouraged by the attention
xbicn his first exhibition net with, imported nearly
one hundred varieties thai ssason aud since hat time
Fir Van Worst Of Jerey City who is said to have the
finest collection Of exOticb in this country, hes made
very large import ayDs at great cost. We have hssrd
Of another eeDtemtn who paid last year $50 for ttls
plsIt Of the Pb9loDoos variety which there wore