MASDEVALLIA YAUAPERYENSIS Rodrig. 
Masprvaii1a YAUAPERYENSIS Rodrig. Vellosia vol. I. (1891), p. 121. 
Leaf 4 inches long, linear-oblong, narrowing below into a slender grooved petiole, dull green. 
Peduncle, including the very short pedicel, about 34 inches long, terete, very slender, ascending from 
the base of the petiole, dark green ; bract 4, inch long, ovate, apiculate, sheathing below, pale green. 
Sepals cohering for 2 inch, forming a campanulate tube, free portions very short, triangular, pure 
white, each with three crimson streaks, greenish at the base, tapering into flattened yellow tails 4 inch 
long. 
Petals oblong-oval, angled on the anterior margin, white, apex obtusely tridenticulate. 
Lip a little longer than the petals, oblong, with two lateral lobes, grooved in the centre, white, spotted 
with crimson especially at the base, apex recurved, yellow. 
Column equalling the petals, white, narrowly winged with crimson. 
HE river Yauapery, in Brazil, from which this little plant receives its name, isa 
tributary of the Rio Negro, running southward for nearly two hundred miles, and 
joining the Rio Negro at about 2° S. lat. by 62° W. long. The low. banks, composed of 
alluvium deposited by frequent floods, are covered with rank creeping vegetation, the 
loose soil bound together by the roots of coarse grasses, and forming only at some 
distance from the river a sufficient foundation for the growth of shrubs and low trees, 
the outskirts of the dense forests which cover the surrounding country. Most of the 
trees are thickly entangled with mosses and flowering creepers, hiding trunks and 
branches, often killing the trees themselves, and forming immense masses of flowers and 
foliage exquisitely varied in form and colouring. In very damp shady places upon the 
eastern bank of the river, Masdevallia Yauaperyensis was discovered by Senhor Barbosa 
Rodriguez, growing among the mosses a few inches from the ground upon the trunks of 
trees and especially upon the stems of lianas, or hanging in tufts by its clinging roots, 
and flowering from January to March. 
Senhor Rodriguez, the first explorer of the river Yauapery, was commissioned in 1884 
by the Governor of Amazonas to undertake the subjugation of a tribe of Indians named 
Krichanas, living upon the banks of the river and for many years the terror and scourge of 
peaceful settlers. During two years he lived among them, frequently in danger of his life, 
penetrating almost to the source of the river and collecting valuable specimens along 
both banks. By his courage and wise judgment he gained the confidence of the Indians, 
inducing them to give up their wild forest life, and leaving them comparatively civilised, 
and friendly towards the agricultural and fishing population of the banks of the Rio Negro. 
The temperature of the habitat of JZ. Yauaperyensis is 26° to 27° Centigrade (about 
78° to 84° Fahrenheit), and the elevation is 60 métres (195 feet) above the level of the sea. 
The discovery of this plant so far inland, almost in the heart of South America, in the 
low alluvial region of the bed of the Amazon, throws a new light upon the geographical 
distribution of Masdevallias, hitherto considered to be a genus of mountain plants, 
chiefly restricted to-a high elevation and a cool temperature in the mountains of Central 
and South America. 
For the accompanying drawing, as well as for the above information, I am indebted 
to Senhor Rodriguez, who, by his letters, and by forwarding to me a copy of his interest- 
ing work “Vellosia, Contribuigdes do Museu Botanico do Amazonas,” has done his 
utmost to render me assistance. His original description of the plant is as follows : 
«“ Qaule secundario nullo; folio oblanceolato, erecto, subacuto; scapo folio longitudine ; 
sepalis connatis, cupuliformibus, cum aristis longe-productis, recurvis ; petalis carnosis, 
antice canaliculatis, postice convexis, unidentatis in marginibus eaxternis, apice truncatis, 
apiculatis ; labello recurvo, unguiculato, sulcato, lateraliter in medium bicalloso ; gynostemio 
erecto, mentoso.” 
Explanation of Plate : 
Fig. 1, sepals detached and spread out, natural size ;—2, petal ;—2a, inner side of petal ;—3, lip, 
side view ;—3a, lip, front view ;—4, column ; al/ enlarged. 
