RARE ORCHIDS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 January 1928, Page 2

RARE ORCHIDS

THREE PLANTS SOLD FOR £948. Three insignificant looking plants with long pale green leaves, which resembled poor specimens of the common aspidistra, were sold in London recently, says the ‘Daily Mail,’ for a little under £l,OOO. These plants, which would have attracted no attention on a hawker’s barrow, were very rare and valuable orchids —the Odontoglossum Purple Emperor, which is said to be the finest Odontoglossum ever produced. They are the gems of the collection of orchids which was formed and cultivated for many years by the late Mr H. T. Pitt at Stamford Hill, and were sold by auction in the grounds of Rosalyn. The Purple Emperor bears flowers, which measure more than sin across, of intense crimson maroon, margined with white and .yellow markings on the lip. Mr James M’Beau, of Cooksbridge, near Lewes, Sussex, secured the first plant for £357, and the second for £325 10s, while Mr T. Armstrong of Tunbridge Wells, bought the third for £262 10s.

Both the growers informed a ‘Daily Mail’ reporter that they had bought the orchids for themselves, and would probably propagate from them. A sori of the late Mr Pitt stated that his father had bought the plants some two years ago for about £420.