MARTYNIA 



MASDEVALLIA 



2005 



MARTtNIA (John Martyn, 1699-1768, professor of 

 botany at Cambridge, botanical author). Including 

 Proboscidea. Martyniacese. Coarse annuals and peren- 

 nials from the warmer parts of America, a few of which 

 are cultivated for pickles or for ornament. 



Rank branchy plants of heavy odor, viscid-pubes- 

 cent, mostly sprawling on the ground: Ivs. large, likely 

 to be opposite and alternate on same plant, 

 petioled, broad and subcordate, entire or lobed: 

 fls. large and funnelform-campanulate in short 

 loose terminal racemes; calyx more or less 

 swollen - campanulate, deeply and unequally 

 5-parted, often split on the anterior side; corolla 

 violet-purple, pale yellow or whitish mottled, 

 oblique, decurved, the limb somewhat bilabiate 

 but the 5 spreading lobes nearly equal; fertile 

 stamens 2 in the genus Martynia as defined by 

 Stapf (Engler & Prantl, Die Pflanzenfamilien, 

 including one species apparently not in cult.), 

 and 4 in the genus or group Proboscidea which 

 is here included in Martynia and to which the 

 cult, species belong; ovary 1 -celled, the 2 parietal 

 placentae extended inward and meeting at the 

 middle as if 2-celled: fr. a 2-valved caps., more 

 or less fleshy, hairy, with a long curving beak; 

 seeds large. Species about 8, U. S. to S. Amer. 

 The closely allied Craniolaria (which see, in Vol. 

 II) is distinguished by the long slender corolla- 

 tube (Martynia Craniolaria, G\ox.=Craniolaria 

 annua). The trade names need revision. 



Martynias are sometimes grown in gardens for their 

 bright large flowers, abundant foliage and odd pods. 

 They are treated as half-hardy annuals. They are also 

 grown in the vegetable-garden for the small tender pods 

 which are made into pickles the same as cucumbers. 

 The plants grow \ l /z feet or more high, and spread 

 widely. They should be started in a hotbed in the North 

 and transplanted to the open. In the middle and south- 

 ern states seed may be sown in the open 3 feet apart 

 each way where the plants are to remain. They need a 

 warm open soil and sunny exposure. The fruits have 

 a very distinct appearance by reason of the long-curved 

 horn which splits from the top as the capsule hardens. 



A. Lvs. more or less lobed: fls. purple or reddish. ' 



fragrans, Lindl. (M. formosa, Vilm. M. violacea, 

 Engelm.). Annual: less stout than M. louisiana: Ivs. 

 roundish to oblong-cordate, somewhat lobed and wavy- 

 toothed, 3-5 in. broad: corolla campanulate, 1 or 2 in. 

 long and wide, fragrant, reddish purple to violet-purple. 

 Texas, New Mex., Ariz., N. Mex. B.M. 4292. B.R. 

 27:6. R.H. 1843:529. 



AA. Lvs. sinuate or perhaps dentate, not lobed: fls. mostly 

 whitish or yellowish but sometimes purplish. 



louisiana, Mill. (M. proboscidea, Glox. Proboscidea 

 Jussieui, Steud.). UNICORN PLANT. PROBOSCIS 

 FLOWER. Fig. 2328. Annual, the ascending or prostrate 

 branches 2-3 ft. long: Ivs. roundish, cordate, often 

 oblique, entire or obscurely wavy-lobed, 4-12 in. wide: 

 fls. 1 J/-2 in. long, dull white or yellowish with mottles 

 or spots of purple or yellow within, the corolla nearly as 

 broad as long, the lobes obtuse: fr. 4-6 in. long at 

 maturity, the beak equaling or exceeding the body. 

 Native from Ind. to Utah and to Texas and New Mex.; 

 naturalized farther east and north. B.M. 1056. V. 

 3: 151. The picture (Fig. 2328) shows frs. one-third the 

 size at full maturity. The right-hand specimen shows 

 the woody part, after all the soft parts have been 

 macerated. 



lutea, Lindl. (M. montevidensis, Cham.). Annual, 

 \]/2 ft., the plant pale, glandular-pubescent: Ivs. cor- 

 date-orbiculate, subdentate, 5-7-nerved: fls. few, in erect 

 terminal racemes, large, greenish yellow outside and 

 orange inside; corolla funnel-shaped, the tube con- 

 stricted: caps, woody, boat-shaped, cristate on back, 



2-beaked at apex, the beaks 2 in. long. Brazil. B.R. 

 934. Perhaps not in the trade. j^ jj 3 + 



MASDEVALLIA (Joseph Masdevall, a Spanish phy- 

 sician and botanist). Orchidacese. Orchids, not showy, 

 but odd and often grotesque. 



Pseudobulbs none: Ivs. variable in size, oblong to 

 linear, thick, sheathing at the base: peduncles 

 bearing from 1-5 or more fls. : petals small and 

 usually hidden in the calyx-tube, the 3 calyx- 

 lobes greatly developed and giving character to 

 the fl.; often these lobes end in slender tails 



2328. Martynia louisiana. ( X K) 



several inches" long; lip of the corolla short, articulate 

 with the base of the winged or wingless column, in some 

 species sensitive; pollinia 2, without caulicles. More 

 than 150 species, inhabitants of the American tropics, 

 and various hybrid and garden forms. The species of 

 the M. coccinea group are relatively simple in form, but 

 are usually prized for their brilliant coloring. Those of 

 the M. Chirmera group are remarkable for their fantas- 

 tic shapes. Of late years many new kinds have been 

 intro., and the genus is somewhat confused as to the 

 specific limits of the various forms. Masdevallias are 

 polymorphous, and herbarium specimens do not show 

 specific characters well. See "The Genus Masdevallia," 

 by Florence H. Woolward (1896 1 ). 



Cultural directions. (R. M. Grey.) 



Masdevallias are found growing at high elevations, 

 ranging from 6,000 to 12,000 feet above sea-level, in 

 northwestern South America and Central America, with 

 a few sparingly distributed elsewhere over tropical 

 America. These regions are generally subjected to two 

 rainy seasons annually, often with very short intermis- 

 sions. The atmosphere, though somewhat rarified, is 

 very humid, the temperature in the shade seldom rising 

 above 65 F., and often dropping to 40 in some dis- 

 tricts. Heavy fogs are frequent, especially in the fore- 

 part of the day, and during the greater part of the 

 year the under- vegetation is in a saturated condition; 

 the high winds prevalent in these districts, however, 

 counteract to a great extent any evil influence which 

 might otherwise arise from it. 



The heat of our summer makes it quite impossible to 

 imitate wholly the above conditions, out with a proper 

 house, such as is afforded odontoglossums of the cris- 

 pum section, very satisfactory results may be obtained 

 and the many species will be found of comparatively 

 easy culture. A low, well-ventilated, half-span house of 

 northern exposure, with an upright stone or brick wall 

 on the south side, is best adapted to them. The house 

 should be provided with canvas roll-shading, supported 

 on a framework elevated 15 or 18 inches above the 

 glass in order that the cool air may pass freely beneath 

 it. This will help to guard against solar heat during 

 summer. Houses built partly below ground are not to 

 be recommended, as the atmosphere soon becomes 

 stagnant and inactive, causing the leaves to fall pre- 



