MASDEVALLIA. 41 



stoutisli, flexuose, sLarply trigonal, 12 or more inches high, with 



an obovate compressed bract about an inch lielow the short ovary, 



the intervening portion of the peduncle slender and terete. Perianth 



tube cylindric, short ; upper sepal sub-orbicular, keeled, yellow stained 



with brown without, concave and tawny yellow within, contracted into 



a yellow reflexed tail, 3 — 4 inches long ; lateral sepals sub-orbicular, 



forming a hemispherical cup, ribbed within and without, reddish or 



chestnut-brown, contracted like the upper sepal into long flexuose yellow 



tails ; petals Avhite, linear, acute, but sometimes 2 — 3 toothed at the 



apex ; lip oblong, apiculate, clawed and auricidate at the base, toothed 



towards the apex, reddish brown. Column Avhitish. 



Masdevallia Ephippiura, Rchb. in Bot. Zeit. 1873, p. 390, Id. in Gard. Cliron. 

 I. (1874), p. 372. Id. Xen. Orch. II. p. 213, t. 195. Bot. Maq. t. 6208. M. 

 Trochilus, Lind. et Andre, lUi's. hort. 1874, p. 136, t. 180. Fl. Mag. n. s. t. 443. 

 M. acrochordonia, Echb. Xen. Orch. II. p. 213 (1874). Id. in Gard. Chron. 

 XXIII. (1885), p. 174. Id. XXVI. (1886), p. 526. M. Cohbre, nom. vulg. 

 fide Roezl. * 



The botanical history of this species is somewhat confused. 



According to Eeicheubach, it was first discovered near Loxa, in 



Ecuador, by Dr. Krause, of Leipsic, who sent it to Messrs. Back- 



house^t but some years later he states, in another place, that 



Wallis was its discoverer, this collector having met with it near 



Antioquia, in 187o, while on a mission to New Granada for M. 



Linden ; \ it was shortly afterwards gathered by Roezl and by 



Patiii, near Medellin, and Mr. Shuttleworth informs us that 



it has been collected by Carder in the neighbourhood of 



the last-named tmvn. Its New Granadian origin is therefore 



unquestionably established, and the Losa locality must be referred to 



Masdevallia acrochordonia (Rchb.) ; but we liave reduced this to a 



synonym of M. BpJa'ppium, as we are unable to detect even a 



varietal distinction between the plants in cultivation under these 



names. M. acrocJiordonia was also discovered by Krause, near 



Loxa, and was introduced from that district, in 1884, by Messrs. 



Sander and Co. through their collector Hiibsch.| The presence of 



* The names applied to this species have not been very felicitously selected. Epliippium 

 (fffliTTTriov) means "a saddle," to which neither the flower nor any part of it iiears any 

 especial resemblance; Trochilus (rpoj^iXoc), "a wren," is equally far fetched; Acrochordonia 

 ( dk-po^opcwv ) is a Greek word of uncertain signification, but supposed to mean a kind 

 of wart. Colibre (Spanish), Colibri (French), is "humming-bird." 



t Gard. Chron, I, (1874), p. 372. Bot. Mag. sub. t. 6208. 



t Gard. Chron. XXIII. (1885), ji. 174. Xen. Orch. II. p. 214. 



§ Gard. Chron. XXIII. (1885), p. 174. The statements made here and in I. (1874), 

 p. 372, respecting the discovery of Masdevallia Ejyhippium and M. acroclwrdonia, by Krause, 

 near Loxa, doubtless refer to one and the same species. 



