Tab. 7185. 

 MASDEVALLIA platyglossa. 



Native of New Grenada? 



Nat. Ord. Obchide.e. Tribe Epidendbe^. 

 Genus Masdevallia, Ruiz. Sf Pav. (Benth. & Hook.f. Gen. Plant vol. iii. p. 492). 



Masdevallia (Coriacese) platyglossa; casspitosa, foliis petiolatis oblongo- v. 

 elliptico-laneeolatis v. oblanceolatis subacutis coriaceis dorso carinatis, 

 petiolo basi vagina tubulosa brunnea instructo, pedanculis foliis aequi- 

 longis pendulis v. decurvis robustis 2-3-vaginatis 1-2-floris, vaginis 

 tubulosis oblique truucatis, floribns intra bracteam tubulosam truncatam 

 pedicellatis, perianthio alte 9-costato pallide flavo, sepalis coriaceis infra 

 medium in tubum inflatum hemisphericum gibbosum basi subtruncatum 

 connatis, dorsali triangulari-ovato acuminato recurvo, lateralibus paullo 

 brevioribus, petalis columnaa asquilongis oblique quadratis late uuguicu- 

 latis, labello sessili oblongo piano apice rotundato ultra medium granulato, 

 columna apice crenata. 



M. platyglossa, Pekhb.f. in Gard. Chron. 1882, ii. 252. 



The nearest ally of M. platyglossa is M. coriacea, Lindl. 

 (M. Bruch-mulleri Hort.), which differs in the more slender 

 scapes, longer apices of the sepals, and very stout petiole, 

 and, according both to preserved specimens and to the 

 figure given in Karsten's Flora of Columbia, in the erect 

 scapes. The native country of M. platyglossa is not known, 

 but as its nearest ally is from Bogota, it will probably prove 

 to be New Grenada. It was first described by Reichenbach 

 from a plant which flowered in 1882 in the rich collection 

 of Sir Trevor Lawrence, to whom the Royal Gardens of 

 Kew are indebted for the specimen here figured, which 

 flowered in July, 1888. 



Descr. Densely tufted. Leaves three to four inches 

 long, oblong- or elliptic-lanceolate or oblanceolate, acute, 

 coriaceous, keeled at the back, narrowed into a slender 

 petiole one to two inches long, which is closely invested at 

 the base by a cylindric brown truncate sheath. Scapes 

 as long as the leaves or longer, one- rarely two-fld., pen- 

 dulous or decurved, as thick as a crow-quill, bearing about 

 three tubular loose sheaths a third to half an inch long, of 

 a pale greenish-yellow colour with obliquely truncate pink 



Jri.v 1st, 1891. 



