988 



MASDZVALLIA 



MASDEVALLIA 



especially at night, when a light syringing overhead will 

 also prove beneficial. Midday syringing in hot weather 

 is often injurious and should be clone with caution if at 

 all. More benefit will result from hosing down the 

 shelves and paths at intervals of three or four hours, as 

 it will help to reduce the temperature. 



Masdevallias need a great deal of water at the roots at 

 all seasons, and the soil should never be allowed to dry 

 out, as they have no fleshy pseudobulbs to protect them 

 against extreme changes. Light syringing overhead 

 during winter and spring in fine weather will assist in 

 checking thrip and red spider, and a weak solution of 

 tobacco may be added with good effect. 



The best season for repotting and basketing the plants 

 is during November and December, and the best gen- 

 eral compost is a mixture of clean peat fiber and sphag- 

 num moss chopped rather fine and well mixed, some 

 sections requiring in addition a portion of chopped sod. 

 About one-third of the space should be devoted to clean 

 drainage consisting of either broken charcoal or pot- 

 sherds. 



M. coriacea, elephanticeps, Peristeria, IZeichenbachi- 

 ana, and kindred species, grow best in small pots, and 

 should have one-third chopped sod added to their potting 

 compost. M. macrura, Schlimii, Tovarensis, amabilis, 

 coccinea, Veitchiana, triangularis, polysticta, museosa, 

 and the numerous other allied species, grow equally well 

 in either pots or baskets, but should the latter be used 

 it would be well to add a small portion of chopped sod to 

 the compost to make it more firm and less porous; the 

 sod has a cooling effect on the roots. M. bella, Carderi, 

 Chestertoni, Chimcera, Houtteana and their allies nearly 

 all have pendulous flower-scapes, and should be sus- 

 pended from the roof in baskets in a compost of equal 

 parts chopped peat-fiber and live sphagnum, with a little 

 leaf-mold added. The flower-scapes often penetrate 

 through the compost ; for this reason little or no drainage 

 should be used, as it may retard their progress. 



To increase the stock the plants must be divided dur- 

 ing the early winter; this will give them a chance to 

 reestablish themselves before the following summer. 

 They must not be broken up into too small pieces, as it 

 has a tendency to weaken them. Cult> by R M G REY . 



REVIEW OF THE SECTIONS. 



SECTION I. Scape 1-fld. : calyx-tube rather nar- 

 row, tubular or somewhat funnel-shaped: label- 

 lum plane Species 1-7 



SECTION II. Scape 1-fld. : calyx-tube broad, gib- 

 bous or basin-like: labellum plane Species 8-24 



SECTION III. Scape several-fld. : labellum plane 

 and narrow Species 25-37 



SECTION IV. Scape mostly 1-fld., pendent or sub- 

 erect : labellum saccate, or at least much broad- 

 ened : tails very long Species 38-44 



SF.CTION V. Scapes 1-fld. This section differs 

 from all the others by the subterete Ivs., and in 

 having the tails inserted below the apex of each 



45 



SECTION I. 



A. Calyx-lobes glandular with minute 



papilla; i. Veitchiana 



AA. Calyx-lobes not glandular. 



B. Tail of the dorsal lobe hanging for- 



war d 2. militaris 



3. rosea 

 BB. Tail of the dorsal lobe erect and 



straight 4. amabilis 



5. Davisii 

 G. Barlaeana 

 BBB. Tail of the dorsal lobe reflexed and 



flexuous 7. coccinea 



1. Veitchiana, Reichb. f. Tufted: Ivs. 4-G in. long, nar- 

 row: peduncle erect and slender, 1 ft. or more, with 2 or 

 more bracts (the upper one remote from the flower): 

 calyx with bell-shaped tube, the expanding lobes 3 in. 

 across, orange-red, with purple shades, glandular-hairy,, 

 abruptly contracted into short, narrow tails ; petal* 

 white, hidden. Peru. B. M. 5739. Var. grandiflora, 

 Hort., has a dense hairy covering on the dorsal lobe of 

 calyx; and also on the outer part of the lateral lobes, 

 the inner part orange-scarlet. 



2. militaris, Reichb. f. & Warscz. ( M . ignea, 

 Reichb. f.). Much like the last, but differs in having- 

 elliptic or elliptic-obovate Ivs., which are long-petioled, 

 and in the lateral calyx lobes being only prominently 

 pointed , not tailed, the dorsal lobe very narrow and hang- 

 ing forward between the other two: color orange and 

 scarlet; petals white, exceeding the column. Spring. 

 Colombia. B.M. 5962. I.H. 26:333. -Var. Massan- 

 geana, Hort. Lateral lobes longer: fls. larger. Var. 

 Boddaerti, Hort. Calyx yellow; lower lobes shaded with 

 red on tjhe upper surface. I.H. 26:357. Var. grandifldra, 

 Hort. Fls. rounded; lateral sepals brilliant vermilion, 

 bordered with crimson and suffused with purple. Var. 

 superba, Hort., is advertised. 



3. rosea, Lindl. Lvs. oblong-spoon-shaped, keeled: 

 peduncle drooping and slender, bearing a single fl. : 

 calyx tube 1 in. long, red and violet; calyx-lobes rose- 

 lilac, with red tails; petals yellow, the lip hairy at the 

 apex. Ecuador. G.C. III. 16:657. July, Aug. A pretty 

 and free-flowering species. 



4. amabilis, Reichb. f. & Warscz,. Lvs. 4-5 in. long, 

 oblong- or spatulate-lanceolate, about half the length of 

 the erect, usually 1-fld. peduncles: fls. varying from 

 purplish crimson to yellow; lobes ovate-triangular, the 

 lateral ones with short tails and the dorsal ones with a 

 long and ascending tail ; petals narrow, yellowish, longer 

 than the column. Peru. Sept. -Dec. Var. lineata, 

 Linden & Andre" (var. stridta, Hort. ), has yellowish fls., 

 tinged and striped with red. I.H. 22:196. 



5. Davisii, Reichb. f. Densely cespitose: Ivs. oblong- 

 lanceolate, 6-8 in. long, petioled, blunt at the apex: pe- 

 duncle erect, about 10 in. long : calyx large, brilliant 

 yellow, obscurely veined with deeper yellow; dorsal lobe 

 triangular-ovate, prolonged in a tail ; lateral lobes oblong- 

 ovate, larger, united to below the middle, terminating in 

 short tails ; petals longer than the column, nearly hidden 

 in the calyx-tube, pale yellow, the labellum yellow, 

 shaded and spotted with red, with 2 obscure keels. Peru. 

 B.M. 6190. 



6. Barlaeana, Reichb. f. Lvs. spatulate, acute: pedun- 

 cle slender, nearly 1 ft. long: fls. scarlet; calyx-tube 

 curved; dorsal sepals short-triangular, produced into a 

 long tail; lateral sepals larger, semi-ovate; petals lig- 

 ulate, white. Peru. Reichb. states that the lateral 

 sepals run internally one in another; they are connate 

 in a straight line. 



7. coccinea, Linden (M. Lindeni, Andre"). Fig. 1374. 

 Lvs. spatulate, obtuse or retuse, 6-10 in. long: pe- 

 duncle 1 ft. or more long: calyx crimson-magenta; dor- 

 sal lobe with a small, triangular base, prolonged into i 

 long tail ; lateral lobes oblong-ovate, scarcely prolonged : 

 petals white, longer than the column. May. Colombia. 

 B.M. 5990. I.H. 17:42. F.M. 1872:28. -Var. conchifldn 

 Veitch. Fls. large; lateral lobes of labellum rotund, 

 concave. Var. Harryana, (M. Harryana, Reichb. f.). 

 Lateral lobes of calyx oval, falcate, the tips usually 

 crossing or turned toward each other. May. F. 



