THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Masdevallia continued. 



with the incurved, half-rounded column. Leaves cori- 

 aceous, narrowed downwards into petioles. Until a few 

 years ago, Masdevallias did not find favour with 

 English orchid-growers. This may, perhaps, be accounted 

 for by the fact that the earliest introduced kinds were 

 amongst the least showy of the whole genus. There is, 

 however, another reason why the culture of Masdevallias 

 has not yet become general, and that is, the difficulty of 

 transit. Gathered in the high and cool mountain ravines 

 of the Andes of Peru and New Grenada, at from 7000ft. 

 to 10,000ft. elevation, they are packed in boxes, and 

 have, perchance, to make a journey upon a mule's back 

 for some two or three weeks before they reach the port 

 of embarkation, every day's journey bringing them into a 

 hotter region. The effect of this is that the plants are 

 soon shrivelled up; and, as they have no pseudo-bulbs, 

 in which to store nourishment, they are, in many in- 

 stances, found, upon arrival in this country, to be a 

 mass of useless rubbish. The plants flower two or 

 three times in the course of the season. Masdevallias 

 are not difficult to cultivate ; indeed, there is, probably, 

 no other genus of orchids which can be grown with so 

 little trouble as the one under notice, providing always 

 they have a cool, moist atmosphere, and are well shaded 

 from the sun in summer. The plants thrive in peat and 

 pphagnum, with good drainage, and are propagated by 

 division. 



M. abbreviata (shortened), fl. white, with a few purple spots ; 



racemes few-flowered. 1. spathulate, obtuse. Columbia, 1878. 



Closely allied to M. polysticta, but the flowers have usually far 



fewer dots. 

 M. amabilis (lovely).* #. orange-carmine. 1. oblong-ovate, atout 



Sin. long. h. 6in. Peru, 1874. A very pretty, free-flowering 



species. (I. H. n. s. 196.) 

 M. anchorifera (anchor-bearing), fl. purple ; the borders of the 



side sepals ochre, with purple spots; tails recurved raceme 



distichous ; peduncle smooth. Costa Rica, 1884. 

 M. Arminii (Armin's). fl. rose-coloured, tinged with purple 



when expanded. 

 M. attenuate (attenuated), fl. greenish-white; sepaline tails 



orange-yellow ; petals white, with a green middle nerve ; lip 



yellow. I. long-stalked, linear-ligulate. Costa Rica, 1871. 



M. Backhousiana (Backhouse's).* A fine species or variety, 

 closely related to JH. Chinwera, but the colours are much brighter 

 and the flower much larger. Columbia, 1879. 



M. Barleeana (Barla's). fl. scarlet, very freely produced. Peru, 

 1876. A pretty species, closely allied to M. amabilis. 



M. bella (handsome).* fl. dark purplish-brown, yellow inside, 

 large ; the odd sepal and the outer halves of the other sepals are 

 densely blotched with dark purplish-brown, the colour of the 

 long tails ; the interior sides of the equal sepals and the base of 

 the odd sepal are nearly ochre-yellow in colour. Columbia, 1878. 

 (B. H. 1884, 57 ; G. C. nf s., xiii.p. 756.) 



M. tore Vis (short), fl., upper sepal yellow, with three rows of 

 purple spots and a dark purple tail; lateral ones having the 

 upper front area orange and purple, the rest brown ; petals 

 yellowish and brown, rhomboid, with an inflexed point ; lip 

 long, narrow, stalked, with a pandurate flmbriate blade. British 

 Guiana, 1884. 



M. calura (beautiful-tailed), fl., petals and lip brownish-purple, 

 the inner surface covered with obtuse warts ; column white, with 

 numerous purple freckles ; tails long. 1883. 



M. campyloglossa (curved-lipped). /. greenish-white, smaller 

 than in M. coriacea, with nine purplish-black dots over the 

 nerves ; tails narrower, split half the length of the perigone ; lip 

 whitish, with three violet stripes, long, narrow, acute, angled on 

 each side near the apex. 1878. 



M. chelsonl (Chelsea).* fl. white ; lip pandurate, mauve at the 

 border, brown at the blunt apex, white on the disk of the inner 

 sule, with a mauve line through the middle line beneath. I. with 

 a very long petiolar part. 1880. A hybrid between M. Veitchiana 

 and M. amabilis; it is believed to be the first Masdevallia 

 raised from seed in Europe. 



M. Chestcrtonl (Chesterton's), fl. greenish-sulphur, spotted 

 black ; sepals ovate, with black tails ; petals orange, with two 

 black spots and a tumour. Columbia, 1883. Allied to M. 

 Nycterina. 



M :,, C 4 1 ? MBra (ChlmeeraX* This plant is distinguished from M. 

 Wallwu (which Is usually grown under the name of M. Chiwa-ra) 

 by its very long, acuminate, tapering, triangular sepals, lOin. to 

 12m long blackish, dotted, and hairy, and 1>y the ftp having no 

 angle at its base. (G. C. n. s., xvi. Fig. 26.) 



Masdevallia continued. 



M. Civilis (civil). fl. greenish-yellow, spotted inside with brown ; 

 sepals fused into a tube, terminating in three slender tails. 

 1. fleshy, 4in. to 6in. long. Peru, 1864. (B. M. 5476.) 



M. coccinea (scarlet).* /., sepals yellow outside, and, to use the 

 words of Dr. Lindley, as red as a soldier's coat within ; lower 

 sepals expanded and folded back, whilst the upper sepal is narrow 

 and inclined to reflex. Winter. Pamplona, New Grenada. A 

 rare but handsome species. (R. G. 870; R. X. O. 74.) 



M. coriacea (leathery), fl. yellowis 

 purple, h. 6in. Columbia, 1872. An i 



3h, spotted with brownish- 

 An interesting species. 



M. corniculata (horned), fl. dark cinnamon -brown, as large as 

 those of M. coriacea; petals terminating in an ascending, 

 columnar, warty body. Columbia, 1878. 



M. crassicaudata (thick-tailed). A variety of M. polysticta. 



M. cucullata (hooded), fl. glossy blackish-purple, whitish inside 

 at base ; tips of tails yellow. Columbia, 1883. A fine species. 



M. Davisii (Davis').* fl, rich orange-yellow, solitary. I. about 

 Sin. long. Peru, 1874. A distinct and handsome species. (B. M. 

 6190.) 



M. Dayana (Day's), fl., upper sepal yello wish- white, with seven 

 membranous keels spotted with purple ; inferior connate sepals 

 orange, with some purple-brown spots and borders towards the 

 apex. 1. flat, dark green above, purple beneath, 4Jin. by Sin. 

 Columbia, 1880. 



M. Denisoniana (Denison's). fl. dark crimson, with a magenta 

 flush, very brilliant. Columbia, 1873. Plant of dwarf tufted 

 habit. (P. M. n. s. 79.) 



M. Eduardi (Edward Klaboch's). fl. red, two or three, borne on 

 peduncles nearly 9in. high. I., blades scarcely above Jin. long and 

 gin. wide, produced at intervals of about lin. along the creeping 

 rhizome. Columbia, 1880. A pretty species. 



M. ephippium (saddle).* fl. dark purplish-brown, with very long 

 yellowish tails ; veins of lower sepals washed outside with yellow ; 

 scape pluriflorous. 1. oblong, obtuse, with long petioles. A. 1ft. 

 Antioquia, 1874. SYN. M. Trochilus. (B. M. 6208 ; R. X. 0. 195.) 



M. erinacea (prickly), fl, light ochre, with a dark purple ring 

 on the rough ovary, and a few scattered spots, small ; tails and 

 disks of lateral sepals orange. I. linear-spathulate, 2in. long, 

 obscurely tridentate. 1881. A small species. 



M. erythrochaete (red-bristled).* fl. white and light yellow ; 

 sepals covered inside with styliform processes ; tails reddish- 

 purple ; peduncles 4in. long. 1. 1ft. long, Jin. broad. Central 

 America, 1882. This resembles M. Houtteana, but is larger. 



M. Estradas (Estrada's).* fl. with a purplish-mauve ground colour, 

 the long sepals being pale yellow ; scape erect, one-flowered. 

 April. 1. oblong-ovate, coriaceous, deep green, about 4in. long. 

 New Grenada, 1874. A dwarf and profuse-flowering species. 

 (B. H. 167 J, 21 ; B. M. 6171.) 



M. floribunda (bundle-flowered).* fl. in a terminal umbel or 

 corymb; petals white, with a triangular or square production 

 on the inferior side, and a keel on the blade, retuse at its top, 

 with three teeth ; inferior sepals rounded at the top and suddenly 

 extended into a short tail ; the very small free part of the 

 upper sepal is triangular, tapering into a tail ; the tails are of a 

 pretty yellow ; lip nearly cordate at the base, constricted before 

 the middle, whitish, with numerous brownish-purple spots. /. 

 rather thick, spathulate, shining. Brazil, 1843. 



on each side ; li 



__^_. j petals and column w~ " 



lake. Columbia, 1876. 



M. Gaskelliana (Gaskell's).* fl. mauve-purple outside, with two 

 yellow areas at the base and apex of the lateral sepals, and light 

 yellowish, spotted with mauve, inside; tails mauve -purple. 

 I. narrow-lanceolate, acute, 4in. long. 1883. An elegant plant. 



M. gemmata (twin).* fl., dorsal sepal ochreous, triangular, with 

 an orange tail of equal length ; lateral sepals larger, oblique, 

 ochreous at base, with orange nerves, the front part purple ; tails 

 orange, nearly as long as the body of the sepal ; lip purple, cor- 

 date. I. linear-cuneate, 2in. long, obscurely tridentate at apex. 

 1883. A pretty dwarf species. 



M. gibberosa (warted). fl. dark reddish ; sepals connate at base, 

 ascending, curved and bent when free, tails of lateral ones green ; 

 pedicels jointed to the ovaries ; peduncle loosely racemose, 

 covered with numerous warts. I. cuneate-ligulate, acute, very 

 narrow above the articulation, h. 6in. Columbia, 1876. 



M. gracilenta (slender), fl. blackish-purple, solitary or in pairs. 

 I. oblong, acute, minutely three-toothed. Steins slender, 5in. to 

 7in. high, including the leaves. Costa Rica, 1875. 



M. Gustavi (Gustav Wallis's). /. yellowish, with a profusion of 

 port-wine-coloured dots, and yellow tails, in. long, racemose. 

 I. slender, lanceolate, on long petioles. New Grenada, 1875. 



M. Harryana (Mr. Harry Veitch's). A synonym of M. Linaeni. 



M. heteroptera (various-winged). /. quite open ; upper sepal 

 yellow, transversely barred with blackish-purple, oblong, with a 

 short yellow tail ; lateral sepals blackish-purple, narrower, con- 

 volute, with longer yellow tails; petals white; lip blackish- 

 purple. New Grenada, 1875. A very pretty dwarf plant. 



M. hicroglyphica (hieroglyphic), fl., upper sepal erect, flat, 

 with three dark lines and numerous dark spots ; lateral ones 



I. Gargantua (Gargantua). fl. leather-yellow ; lower part of 

 tube velvet-purple, with three whitish stripes on each side ; lip 

 blackish-purple, rough ; petals and column white, striped witn 



