MASDEVALLIA HIEROGLYPHICA Rehb. f. 
MaAspEVALLIA WEROGLYVHICA Rehb. tf. Gard. Chron. 1882, pt. IL, p. 230 ; 1885, pt. IL, p. 584; 1887, 
pts DIE p. 3342 Orehidophile (Godefroy ) ISS], p. 400; 1886, p. 2; Veiteh Manual Orch. V. 
(1889), p. 45. 
Leaf about 4) inches long, oblong-oval, tridenticulate, bright green, narrowing below into a slender 
sroaved petiole, vellowish-green, with very minute black spots, sheathed at the base. 
Peduncle 3 inches long. very slender, with two sheathing bracts, pale green, ascending from within a 
sheath at the base of the petiole ; flowering bract 3 inch long, membranous, apiculate, pale green tinged 
with brown. 
Ovary | inch Jong, with six grooves, whitish, shining, with minute black spots. 
Sepals: dorsal scpal united to the lateral sepals for § inch, forming a wide tube, gibbous below, free 
portion triangular-ovate, encullate, 3-nerved, terminating ina very slender decurved tail about 2 inches 
long, beneath the base of which is a fleshy oval papillus, crimson-purple ; lateral sepals cohering for 4 
inch, triangular-ovate, the outer margin much rounded, 3-nerved, tapering into slender tails 24 inches 
Jong ; colour, yellow at the base of the tube. then semi-transparent whitish, spotted and nerved with 
purple-crimson, the lateral sepals paler, tails orange-vellow shaded with crimson. 
Petals ,3, inch long, ovate-oblong, with a prominent hooked keel on the anterior margin, curving 
forward in front of the column, pale vellow, 
Lip about 3 inch long, oblong, nearly flat, apex slightly recurved, dull purple, with numerous minute 
darker spots and three inconspicuous Jongitudinal lines. 
Column 4 ineh Jong, with Jong triangular Wings, widest at the base, white, the wings spotted and 
shaded with dark purple. 
M AsPEVALLia HIEROGLYPHICA is nearly allied to J. Arminii, but differs 
= remarkably in some respects from that and all other species. The wings of the 
column are curiously developed and prolonged on each side, especially towards the base 
(see figs. 4 and 4a), and still more characteristic is the dark purple excrescence under 
the hase of the dorsal tail, shown, enlarged, at x fig. 1. No other known species has this 
peculiarity, and it seems inexplicable that Professor Reichenbach should have over- 
looked such a remarkable feature when he wrote, from fresh specimens, his minute and 
accurate description of the colouring of the flower in Gard. Chron. 1885, pt. II., p. 584. 
The use of this curious wart in the economy of the plant may possibly be to check 
unsuitable insects in their attempts to enter further into the flower, presenting an 
attraction beyond which they do not care to penetrate. This surmise is founded on the 
fact that in almost all the numerous specimens which I have examined, this succulent 
morsel has been gnawed by inseets, and in some eases entirely consumed. 
The first plants of this species were imported from Ocafia by Messrs. Sander in 
ISS2, no further information as to its habitat being available. 
Explanation of Plate, drawn from a plant at Newbattle Abbey ; 
Fig. 1, petal, lip, and column s—la, section of ovary ;—2, petal, inner side ;—3, lip ;—3a, apex of 
lip ;—4, colunin :—4a, apex of column ; al/ enlarged ;—5, apex and section of leaf, natural size. 
