72 MASDEVALI.IA. 



M. Wendlandiana. 



A densely tufted caespitose plant. Leaves linear, 1 — 2 inches long, 

 including petiole, fleshy, Avith a dejDiessed mid-line on the face. 

 Peduncles liliform, as long again as the leaves, pale green spotted 

 with dull crimson, one-flowered. Perianth tube cylindric, gibbous and 

 purple below, milk-white above ; free portion of sepals narrowly 

 triangular, white, i)assing into yellow at the tips, the lateral two 

 reflexed ; petals and lip very minute, linear-oltlong, the petals white, 

 the lip pur[)lish, reflexed at the tip. 



Masdevallia Wendlandiana, Rchb. in Gard. Chron. I. s. 3 (1887), p. 174. 

 imported from New Granada by Messrs. Sander and Co., 

 and dedicated to Herr Wendland, Director of the Berggarten at 

 Herrenliausen, in Hanover. It is a naost floriferous species, "far 

 too pi'etty and interesting to be relegated to that dubious group 

 known as botanical curiosities."* We are indebted to Mr. F. W. 

 Moore, of the Botanic Garden, Glasnevin, for materials for 

 description. 



HYBRID MASDEVALLIAS. 



When describing Masdevallia splendida,'\ the late Professor 



Keichenbach broached the hypothesis that it might be a natural 



hybrid between M. Veitchiana and M. Barkeana or M. amahilis ; 



and when about a year later, a flower of another plant from the 



same importation was submitted to him for identification, he called 



it M. Parlatoreana,X suggesting that that too might be a natural 



hybrid derived from M. Veitchiana and M. Barlceana. The hypothesis, 



as regards these two species, has since been confirmed by Seden, 



who has obtained an artificial hybrid from them, of which M. 



Vfiilchiaiia was fertilised with the pollen of M. Barlceana, the 



resulting progeny being so near the supposed natural hybrid that it 



must bear the same name. Moreover, M. Parlatoreana is so near M. 



itplendida as to admit of no doubt of its being of like origin, 



probably from the reversed cross, and it must thence be reduced 



to a variety of the last named. The existence of natural hybrids 



among Masdevallias is, therefore, an undoubted fact, but to what 



extent they exist must long remain an uncertainty. 



* "W. B." in Gard. Chron. III. s. 3 (1888). p. 563, who states that it requires tropical 

 treatment, 

 t Gard. Chron. IX. (1878), p. 493. 

 J Id. XI. (1879), p. 172. 



