December 12, 1912] Orchid. Novae etCriticae Ins. Philippinarum 1579 



Eria Ramosii Leav. in Philip. Journ. Sci. (Bot.) IV; 224. 



This curious and rare species, known heretofore only from 

 the specimens in the herbarium of the Bureau of Science and in 

 my herbarium has been rediscovered by Mr. Elmer on the Island 

 of Negros. So far as known it has no near ally in the Philippines. 



Island of Negros: Province of Negros Oriental, Dumaguete 

 (Cuernos Mts.), April, 1908, A. D. E. Elmer, 9803. 



Forming dense soft mats upon large tree trunks or on the 

 upper side of large limbs of lofty trees, on a ridge 4000 feet 

 above sea level. Root slender, numerously branched and forming 

 a loose matrix; stems reclining in all directions, green, terete, 

 from 1 to 5 inches long; leaves soft, rather thick and succulent, 

 in distichous rows, tips slightly recurved, flat on the upper side, 

 convex beneath; flowers solitary or occasionally in pairs, subpen- 

 dulous, soft, light yellow throughout; capsules green, rather per- 

 sistent. 



Eria ringens Reichb. f. in Bonplandia III; 222. 



The identity of Eria ringens Reichb. f. is not positively known. 

 That Reichenbach based his description on a Philippine plant col- 

 lected by Cuming is clear from his reference to Cuming^ s 2128. 

 Leavitt in his paper "The Genus Eria in the Philippines," arrived 

 at no clear understanding of E. ringens, and although he studied 

 several specimens bearing the type number he refrained from 

 making any positive statement and left the matter unsettled. 

 At Kew on the same sheet which bears the type of Eria polyura 

 Lindl., a Philippine specimen is mounted which has been given 

 the number 2128. A sketch of a flower from this specimen is in 

 my possession and which shows a lip very similar to that of Elmer 

 10192. Relying on this sketch and on a clear photograph of the 

 Cuming plant I am inclined to regard Elmer's plant conspecific 

 with it. If the Cuming plant is E. ringens, then I believe we may 

 so regard Elmer's plant. The Cuming plant (No. 2128) preserved 

 in the British Museum of Natural History, from notes which I 

 have and from photographs, appears to be the same species as 

 that mounted on the type sheet of E. polyura. Both Cuming's 

 plants have shorter racemes than Elmer's No. 10192, and in this 

 respect exhibit the only material difference which, with the data 



