CRTPTOPHOEA'NTHUS. / 



Mr. Rolfe, of the Kew Herbarium, has added Pleurothallis atropurpurea, 

 Lindl. {Masdevallia fenestrata, Lindl.), and two or three others of later 

 introduction, all evidently allied to the Rodriguezian species by the same 

 peculiarity of structure in the flowers. The genus " is not included in 

 the main body of the Genera Planiarum, but Mr. Bentham obtained 

 Rodriguez's work in time to mention it in the addenda " (p. J 225), 

 where, however, it is reduced to Pleurothallis. It will be easily under- 

 stood from the foregoing how close is tlie connection between the three 

 genera Pleurothallis, Masdevallia, and Cryptophoranthus ; the last named 

 is separated from the two former by the character described above and 

 no other, and the only essential difference between Pleurothallis and 

 Masdevallia is, that in the latter the sepals are united at their base 

 into a tube, and when this is extremely short or nearly obsolete as in 

 Masdevallia platyrhachis, the two genera merge into each other. Restrepia, 

 although in the same natural group, is separated from these three genera 

 by its four pollinia, they having only two. 



The introduction of the genus into these pages is for the express 

 purpose of bringing under the notice of cultivators two of the best known 

 species included in it, the first having an exceptional interest attached 

 to it on account of tlxe classical investigation respecting the fertilisation 

 of its flowers by the greatest English naturalist of the present century, 

 and the second on account of its bearing the name of one of the most 

 respected of English orchid amateurs of the same period. 



Cryptophoranthus atropurpureum. 



Stems tufted, 2 — 3 inches high, clothed with sheathing scales, mono- 

 phyllous. Leaves elliptic-oblong, acute, 2 — 4 inches long, bright green 

 above, purplish beneath. Peduncles 2 — 3 or more from the base of each 

 leaf, one-flowered. Flowers about an inch long, somewhat resembling 

 a bird's head, brownish purple ; sepals coherent except at a small opening 

 below the apex which is turned upwards, gibbous below at the base ; 

 petals ovate, acute, parallel with the column ; lip oblong, acuminate, 

 channelled above and toothed towards the apex. Column semi-terete, the 

 petals, lip and column all minute and concealed by the united sepals. 

 Pollinia 2. 



Cryptoplioraiitlms atropurpureum, Rolfe in Gard. Chron. II. s. 3 (1887), p. 693. 



Specklinia atropurpurea, Lindl. in Bot. Reg. sub. t. 1797 (1836). Pleurothallis 



atropurpurea, Lindl in Bot. Reg. 1842, misc. p. 81. Id. Fol. Orch.' Pleuroth. 



No. 107. Masdevallia fenestrata, Lindl. ex Hook. Bot. Mag. t. 4164 (1845). 



Introduced from Jamaica to the Royal Gardens at Kew by Purdie 

 in 1843 ; it liad^ however, been made known to science seven 

 years previously from dried specimens received from the same 

 island ; it also occurs in Cuba. For many years after its introduction 

 it remained in cultivation under the name of Masdevallia fenestrata, 

 both at Kew and in a few other orchid collections, rather as a 



