308 ORCHIDS. 
Var. brunnea has the outside of the sepals coloured 
reddish brown. 
M. acutipetala has smaller flowers, similar to those of 
M. picta in form and colour. 
M. Sanderiana.—The most beautiful of all Maxillarias, 
bearing some resemblance to a fine variety of Lycaste 
Skinneri. It has ovate, compressed pseudo-bulbs ; oblong, 
acute-pointed, bright green leaves, gin. long. The scape 
is decumbent, one-flowered, each flower measuring 5in. 
across; sepals 2in. broad, ovate, spreading, the upper 
one concave; petals shorter, semi-erect; lip three-lobed, 
the middle lobe concave, forming a cup with the column 
and side lobes, the edges wavy. The flowers are pure 
white, the lip and base of the segments deep crimson, 
with a few large spots of the same colour scattered over 
the petals. This species was seen in flower for the first 
time at the Orchid Conference, held at South Kensington 
in 1885, and it was certainly one of the grandest of the 
new Orchids exhibited there. It was introduced from Peru 
by Mr. Sander, of St. Albans, in 1884. It should be 
treated as advised for the other species. 
Garden, 1887, t. 606. 
M. venusta.—A large-flowered, charming plant, not 
unlike M. grandiflora, but more robust. The pseudo- 
bulbs are ovate, compressed; each bears two leaves, which 
are broad-oblong, recurved, acute-pointed, 1ft. in length, 
light shining green. The scapes are 6in. long, curved 
upwards, clothed with reddish bracts, one-flowered; the 
flower is nodding, 6in. across; the sepals broad at the 
base, gradually narrowed to a point, the upper one concave, 
the two lateral ones undulated and somewhat curved, 3in. 
long; petals shorter than, but similar in shape to, the lateral 
sepal; lip three-lobed, the middle lobe recurved, triangular, 
