498 ORCHID-GEOWERS MANUAL. 



M. MELANOXANTHA, Bchb. /.—An old species discovered by the late L. 

 Schlim, at Ocana; it appears to be rare in collections, for many plants 

 found under this name in gardens are not 31. melanoxantlta at all but 

 M. Mooreana.. It is described in the Gardeners' Chronicle, n.s., 1875, ii. p. 580, 

 as follows : — " The flowers reach the length of an inch, or even surpass 

 it in their native place. They are most remarkably two-lipped ; the yellow 

 tube is very short, rather prismatic, with a very small chin ; the superior lip is 

 linear-acuminate, yellowish inside, whitish-greenish outside, usually erect, and 

 is greatly varied, now being very narrow, now rather broad ; the inferior lip is 

 much broader, usually a little shorter, bi-fid in two triangular acuminate 

 laminae at its anterior third, and covered with an immense quantity of small, 

 acute, brownish-dark warts on its inner surface, which appears even to be more 

 abundant on the six nerves ; the outer surface is pallid whitish-green, without 

 any rough surface, which, however, is also, though much less, to be seen on the 

 inside of the superior sepal" (H. G. Eeichenbach). — U. S. of Colombia. 



ffi. MILITARIS, Rclib. f. et Warsc. — As there seems to be some confusion 

 respecting this species, we feel we cannot do better than give the late Professor 

 Eeichenbach's description, taken from the Gardeners' Chronicle (n.s., 1880, xiii. 

 p. 742) : — " It was called, from its flowers reminding one of English soldiers' 

 jackets, M. inilitaris ; and the nest critical species is M. ignea, with its dazzling 

 flowers. It is very easily recognised by its exceedingly stiff dark green leaf, of 

 great substance, standing on a petiole shorter than the blade, by a thicker 

 peduncle, a much wider flower-tube, and a wider limb, the first yellow, the 

 limb cinnabarine, now partly yellow ; the lip is much broader and shorter. 

 The plant does not flower very readily, while M. ignea, with its much broader 

 and longer, lighter green, thinner long-stalked leaves and much less wide 

 flowers gives a profusion of bloom. It was originally discovered by 

 M. Warscewicz." — New Grenada. 



NI. MOOREANA, Bchb. f. — The late Professor Reichenbach in dedicating it 

 to Mr. P. W. Moore, of the Grlasnevin Botanical Gardens, described this as 

 follows : — "A very interesting Masdevallia, nearest to M. elephanticeps, but 

 smaller by one-third in all its parts ; it has a flower 3 inches long, yellowish 

 or light green outside, with greenish darker nerves, a reddish hue under the 

 lateral sepals ; the lower lip formed by the lateral sepals is deeply bi-fid, with 

 long triangles, and well-developed tails, their inner surface being very rough, 

 all nearly chocolate-brown ; the upper sepal has a very short triangular blade 

 and a very long tail; the petals are rhombic, with a strong ridge in the middle 

 line ; lip oblong, nearly covered with asperities ; bract narrow, much shorter 

 than the stalk of the ovary ; peduncle and stalk of a very yellowish-white, with 

 numerous small reddish freckles ; leaf exceeding a span in length, oblong- 

 ligulate, blunt acute, with a narrower petiolar base" (Gardeners' Chronicle, 

 N.S., 1884, xxi. p. 408). Flowers produced in winter. — U. S. of Colombia. 



Fid.— Bot. Mag., t. 7015. 



M. NYCTERINA, Bchb.f. — A very curious species of the Chimaera group, 

 and one which was originally figured and sent out for that species by M. 

 Linden; it, however, proves to be not only distinct from, but altogether 

 inferior to it in its grotesque beauty. The plant is of moderately strong 



