MASDEVALLIA PLATYGLOSSA Rehb. f. 
MasprvaLnia pLatyerossa Rehb. f. Gard. Chron. 1882, pt. IL, p- 552; 1887, pt. IL, pp. 717 and 787 ; 
Orchidophile (Godefroy) 1882, p. 471; Veitch Manual Orch. pt. V. (1889), p. 57; Bot. Mag. 
t. 7185 (1891). 
Leaf about 3 inches long, oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous, apex acutely tridenticulate, dark green, 
narrowing below into a slender grooved petiole, sheathed at the base. 
Peduncle 14 or 2 inches long, terete, attenuate towards the base, descending or lateral from the base 
of the petiole, with two or three sheathing bracts, pale green ; flowering bract 3 inch long, membranous, 
sheathing below, ample above, concealing the short pedicel and the base of the ovary, with a minute 
rudimentary bud within at the base, very pale green. 
Ovary 4, inch long, curved, with six rounded angles, pale green. 
Sepals : dorsal sepal united to the lateral sepals for about 4 inch, forming a wide tube, gibbous 
beneath, free portion triangular for nearly } inch, 3-nerved, the central nerve strongly carinate, terminating 
in a blunt fleshy tail ,°; inch long ; lateral sepals cohering for 2 inch, free portions ovate-triangular, 
3-nerved, terminating in blunt tails or points scarcely } inch long ; all lemon-yellow, with pale green 
nerves, the surface slightly velvety. 
Petals nearly 2 inch long, oblong at the base, triangular at the apex, the anterior angle much pro- 
longed, fleshy, shining, pale clear yellow, with a greenish central line. 
Lip more than 3 inch long, united to the foot of the column by a flexible hinge, base grooved and 
fleshy, with a deep nectary on each side, oval-oblong, with two short longitudinal keels, pale yellow, with 
darker nerves, the apex covered with large acute papill. 
Column nearly 3 inch long, broadly winged, pale green, the curved foot yellow, apex crenate, widely 
spreading, white. 
T is uncertain who was the discoverer of Masdevallia platyglossa. Its habitat is in 
Antioquia, but the exact locality is unknown. The plant first flowered in cultiva- 
tion in the collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence, in 1882, and was named by Professor 
Reichenbach platyg/ossa, or “ flat-tongue,” in allusion to the broad flat lip, fig. 3 in the 
accompanying Plate. This feature is unusually large compared with the other parts of 
the flower, and is especially remarkable for the great development of the nectaries at 
the base. 
Explanation of Plate, drawn from a plant at Newbattle Abbey. : 
Fig. 1, petal, lip, and column, in natural position ;—la, section of ovary ;—2, petal, inner side ;— 
3, lip ;—3a, base of lip, showing nectaries ;—4, column ;—4a, apex of column; all enlarged ;—5, apex 
and section of leaf, natural size. . 
