Tab. 7165. 



MASDEVALLIA punctata. 



Native of the Andes of New Granada ? 



Nat. Ord. Orchide.e. — Tribe Epidendreje. 



Genus Masdevallia, "Ruiz §Pav.; (~Benth. et Hooh.f. df Gen PL, vol. iii. 



p. 492.) 



Masdevallia punctata ; dense csespitosa, foliis petiolatis elliptico-lanceolatis 

 acuminatis, pedunculis subaequilongis gracillimis pendulis 1-plarifloris 

 pluri-vaginatis, perianthio incurvo latiore quam longo luride flavido cre- 

 berrime sanguineo punctato, sepalo dorsali araplo ovato incurvo in 

 caudam rigidam angustato dorso crasse 3-costato, sepaiis lateralibus 

 divaricatis et incurvis falcato-ovato-lanceolatis obtusis, basi gibbis apice 

 seta mucronatis, petalis dolabriformibus acutis, labello lineari recurvo. 



M. punctata, Bolfe in Gard. Ohron. 1888, pt. ii. p. 323. 



Mr. Rolfe, the founder of this pretty little species, 

 describes it as belonging to a small group of the genus in 

 which the lip is superior in relation to the axis of the 

 inflorescence, and as most nearly allied to M. swerticefolia, 

 Reichb. f. (Gard. Chrou., 1880, ii. 390). From the last- 

 named plant it differs in the much larger flower and the 

 elongate falcately decurved lateral sepals, which give the 

 very broad flower somewhat the appearance of a bison's 

 head. M. swerticefolia is further described as having soft 

 leaves, sepals with slender recurved tails, and a sagittate lip 

 serrulate in front. The plant was procured from Messrs. 

 Backhouse and Sons of York, in 1888, and flowered at Kew 

 in the same year. Its precise native country is unknown, 

 but is presumably the Andes of New Granada. 



Desck. Densely tufted. Leaves three to five inches long, 

 by three-fourths to one inch broad, elliptic-lanceolate, sub- 

 acute, narrowed below into a petiole one-third to half inch 

 long, which is embraced at the base by a single tubular 

 brownish sheath, very coriaceous, bright green. Peduncles 

 .about as long as the leaves, very slender, pendulous, 

 purplish, one to three or four flowered, the flowers appear- 

 ing one at a time ; sheaths three to four, about one-sixth of 

 an inch long, acute. Flowers ascending, strongly incurved; 

 about a third of an inch across the lateral sepals; bracts 



Mabch L-i. 1891. 



