VOL. XVII. PP 119-120 JUNE 9. 1904 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



THREE NEW ORCHID SPECIES. 

 BY OAKES AMES. 



The three species of orchidaceous plants described below have 

 been for some time the cause of much perplexity, as I have been 

 unable to refer them to species hitherto published. The Den- 

 drobium was given to me by Mr. F. Sander, of St. Albans, Eng 

 land, who received it from New Guinea, where it was collected 

 by Micholitz. The only information concerning the specimen 

 referred to the color of the flowers and to the probability of 

 there being a variety characterized by ' ' purple ' ' veins on the 

 perianth. The two Epidendrums were collected in Mexico by 

 Mr. C. G. Pringle and are interesting additions to a complex 

 genus. To Mr. R. A. Rolfe, who kindly examined the speci 

 mens and on finding them worthy of specific rank described 

 them, I owe my best thanks. 



Dendrobium Micholitzii Rolfe. 



" Densely tufted ; pseudobulbs erect, slender at the base, somewhat 

 thickened upwards and quadrangular, 3-4 inches long, diphyllous at the 

 apex; leaves oblong or obvate-oblong, obtuse, coriaceous, 11-2} inches 

 long; flowers terminal, several, from the axils of a cluster of imbricating 

 oblong bracts, creamy yellow with a greenish orange blotch on the lip, 

 sometimes with purple veins on the flower ; pedicels slender, 8-10 lines 

 long ; dorsal sepal oblong lanceolate, acute, 2 lines long ; lateral pair tri 

 angular, acute, prolonged behind into a stout obtuse somewhat curved 

 menturn 4g-6 lines long ; petals linear, acute, 2 J lines long; lip 5-6 lines 

 long, the basal part oblong and somewhat curved, the apex dilated into an 

 obovate obtuse limb, bearing a small oblong crest in the centre; column 

 stout, scarcely over line long. German New Guinea, Micholitz. 



IS-PROC. BIOL. Soc. WASH. VOL. XVII, 1904, (119) 



