Tab. 7015. 



MASDEVALLIA Mooeeana. 

 Native of Venezuela ? 



Nat. Ord. Obciiide;e. — Tribe Epidendee.e. 

 Genus Masdevallia, Iluiz et Pav. ; {Benth. et Hooh.f. Gen. PI. vol. iii. p. 492.) 



Masdevallia Mooreana ; foliis petiolatis lineari-oblongis obtusis v. apice 2-lobis 

 crasse coriaceis enevviis basi angustatis marginibus subrecurvis, scapis foliis 

 brevioribus validis medio vaginatis, vagina tubulosa oblique truncata, floribus 

 magnis, perianthii crasse coriacei, tubo lato mento obtuso, sepalo dorsali 

 porrecto e basi late ovato triangulari in caudam validam bipollicarem sensim 

 angustato, lateralibus ad mediam connatis dein in caudas elongatas productis, 

 petalis pallidis oblongis cuspidatis, labello oblongo densissime papilloso luride 

 purpureo. 



M. Mooreana, Reichb. f. in Gard. Chron. N. 8. xxi. (March, 1881), p. 408. 



Masdevallia Mooreana belongs to a group of very closely 

 allied forms of the genus of which the type of those known 

 to me is the remarkable M. elephanticeps, Reichb. f. (Xen. 

 Orchid, vol. i. t. 3 ; Flore des Serres, Ser. 1, vol. x. t. 997, 

 and var. pachysepala, Xenia 1. c. t. 74). To this M. 

 Gargantua, Reichb. f. (in Gard. Chron. Ser. 2, vol. vi. 

 (1876) p. 516), from New Grenada, and M. velif&ra, 

 Reichb. f. (1. c. Ser. 2, vol. ii. (1874) p. 98, and Ser. 3, vol. i. 

 (1887) p. 71, f. 516), also from New Grenada, are very 

 near, and may prove to be varieties. Of these M. ele- 

 phanticeps is much the largest species, with thickly fleshy 

 flowers four inches long. M. velifera, from the figure and 

 description and a dried flower in the Herbarium, is ex- 

 ceedingly close to M. Mooreana, but the lower sepals are 

 united much further down, and are more strongly deflexed. 

 M. Gargantua is in a dried state undistinguishable from 

 Mooreana except by the lower sepals being, as in velifera, 

 more connate. 



M. Mooreana is believed to be a native of Venezuela, but 

 I find no certain indication of its locality. 



The Royal Gardens are indebted to Mr. Lee for the plant 

 here figured, which flowered in March of the present year. 

 Flowers have also been received at Kew from Mr. A. IT. 



SEPTEMBER 1ST, 1888. 



