MASDEVALLIA UNIFLOKA 
Ruiz and Pavon’s specinens—as well as for an exact description of the colouring of the 
flowers, taken from unpublished notes by the two botanists. This valuable material has 
enabled us to give the first complete representation of Wo wiiflora, the ouly drawine 
made by Ruiz and Pavon being a wood-cut of a single detached flower, with botanical 
details, published in the Prodromus of their magnificent book upon the Flora of Peru 
and Chili, It was evidently their intention to prepare a more complete drawing of the 
plant, for, in their “Systema Vegetabilium” a seventh volume of their great work is 
referred to: only four volumes, however, were published. No fresh flowers of 
M. uniflora being available for dissection, it has been thought advisable to copy the 
botanical details from the wood-cut given by Ruiz and Pavon, as shown in. the 
accompanying Plate at figs. 6 to 10. 
The plant represented as J. uniflora by Humboldt, Boupland, and Kunth, in their 
“Nova Genera et Species Plantarum,” is undoubtedly not the original species so mamed 
by Ruiz and Pavon, and the drawing was suspected by Dr. Lindley “to have been made 
up with the flowers of JZ. coriacea and the leaves of J. dweis.” This suspicion was shared 
by Professor Reichenbach, who described AZ. wieiflora in Bouplandia LV., 1856, from a 
specimen which had formed part of a very valuable collection of dried plants belonging 
to Pavon, and after his death discovered by Mons. Reuter hidden away in a garret in 
Madrid. Mons. Reuter purchased the collection for the Boissier Herbarium, of which 
he was then Curator, and the Orchids were submitted to Professor Reichenbach for 
examination and description. The present Curator of the Boissier Herbarium, Mons. 
Eugéne Autran, has most kindly allowed me to examine this specimen, which consists 
of four leaves and two flowers, with one petal and lip detached. the apparent colouring 
of the sepals agreeing exactly with the colour-description quoted below from Ruiz’s 
manuscript at Madrid. A drawing of this specimen, together with the small dried piece 
and the drawing sent to me from Madrid by Dr. Colmeiro, may be seen in the Natural 
History Museum at South Kensington, to which LE have presented them in order to 
preserve a record of every known example of this interesting and mysterious plant. 
The species most vearly allied to AL. wiglora appears to be AW. fonocharis, which. it 
resembles in the shape of the petals, and still more in the shape. venation. and general 
appearance of the sepals, as well as in the outline of the leaves. with their long slender 
petioles. 
The following are unpublished descriptions by Ruiz and Pavon, the first. sent from 
Madrid by Dr. Colineiro, giving the exact colour of the flowers: the second was copicd 
for me by Mr. Carruthers, together with much of the above information. from a volume 
of manuscript notes by Ruiz in the Botanical Library of the Natural History Museum, 
from which also Consul Lehmann kindly translated for me Ruizs account in Spanish of 
the neighbourhood of Huassa-huassi : 
“ Masderallia uniflora: foliis oblougo-spathulatis, pedunculis wniflovis, longissiinis. 
Radiv Jasciculata, Jibrosa : gibra ramosa, filijormes, lougissimee in verticillas. Folia 
oblongo-spathulata, longe petiolata, glabra emarginata cum dentienwla,  Petiolus canalicu- 
latus, triarticulatus excartioatione petioli media ortus,  Pedunculus subpodatis, erectus, 
teres, glaber, biarticulatus, uniflorus, vaginis totidem, Covolla basi lutea ad median alba, 
apice purpurascens, tricornis;: hujus color marine varia. Neetaris labinm infevius 
COrinatin SUPrd CONLCIUNL, SLAG HATES JOE POLMO 
“ Calye spathe vag. Spadir simples, Periauthinn nillian Corolla monapetala, 
campanilata, trifida » laciniis ovatis, corniculatis; superiove paulo-minori, basi sevice, 
corniculis subulatis simplicibus. Nectaviuu triphylla ineurcens laciiia superiore covolle 
foliolis receptaculo insertis duobus latere pistilli, maritlajocuibus :  alteriwn pistillo 
oppositum pedicellatian oratian (on forma de Tala) integrian, Stamina filauente due 
brevissiina labio superiovi nectarti insidicnta, Authera obocatu tecta. — Pistillum germen 
oblongian coutortiunm infertan. Stylus longia carinatus, Stiga obsoletian. — Pericarpiun 
capsula oblougia wnilocilaris trivaleis.  Senina numerosa miutissina — Reecptacitin 
Tineare adnatim singiule vale@ pericarp” 
