86 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 



two speoies, P. bulbinella Schltr. from Costa Rica and the present species 

 which was described originally from material collected in Guatemala by 

 H. von Tuerckheim. These species are very closely related, P. bulbinella 

 being a aiuch stouter plant than P. cotii pacta, with longer leaves and a more 

 robust raceme, but with very similar flowers. An examination of more 

 material than 1 have seen may prove that the Costa Rican species is simply 

 a larger form of P. compacta. 



Pleurothallis palliolata, sp. nov. 



Caiiles secundarii elongati, erecti, monophylli, prope basim paucivagin- 

 ati, vaginis tubulatis. Folium perrnagnum, ovato-lanceolatum, longe 

 acuminatum, acutum, basi rotundatum, amplexicaule. Flores duo, 

 permagni, roseo-striati, labello roseo-purpureo. Pedunculus abbreviatus, 

 quam folium multo brevior. Sepala lateralia usque ad apicem cohaerentia, 

 leviter convexa, ovat(j-Ianceolata, ainita, quam sepalum dorsale multo 

 minoi-a. Sepalum dorsale galeiforme, decem-nervium, laminam semi- 

 ellipticam formans. Petala carnosa, anguste falcata, acuta, apice valde 

 curvata, incrassata, triquetra, marginibus serrato-dentata. Labellum 

 carnosum, rotundato-cordatum, infra medium utrinque angulatum, 

 trinervium, nervis claviformibus, basi transverse incrassatum. Unguis 

 trinervius. Columna carnosa, superne dilatata. 



Secondary stems erect, 11-14 cm. long, about 2 mm. in diameter, invested 

 below the middle with several brownish, closely appressed sheaths, mono- 

 phyllous. Leaf 9-10 cm. long, 3.8 cm. wide, coriaceous, rigid, ovate- 

 lanceolate, acuminate, acute, rounded at the base, clasping the stem. 

 Peduncle about 2.5 cm. long, bearing two large flowers about 1 cm. apart, 

 arising from a complanate sheath. Lateral sepals united to form an 

 ovate-lanceolate acute lamina, 1.5 cm. long, 1 cm. wide, about twice longer 

 than the petals. Upper sepal about 2 cm. long, 1 cm. wide when flattened 

 out, hood-shaped, semi-elliptical in outline, obtuse. Petals 7 mm. long, 

 2 mm. wide near the middle, linear-falcate, sharply bent backward near 

 the tip, thickened along the middle and at the tip, margin fimbriate-den- 

 tate. Labellum 6 mm. long, 6.5 mm. wide, orbicular-cordate, fleshy, with 

 four callus-like thickenings at base in front of the three-nerved, oblong 

 claw; abruptly narrowed below the middle with a reentrant angle on each 

 side; three-nerved, the lateral nerves slenderly claviform in outline, the 

 middle one broadly clavate above the middle. Column about 2 mm. 

 long, fleshy. 



Allied to P. cnrdiuthallis Reichb. f. from which it differs in the cordate 

 labellum and coarsely fringed petals. P. costaricensis Schltr. is closely 

 allied, but differs in having subequal sepals and an ovate-oblong labellum. 

 P. phyllocardia Reichb. f. is very similar to P. paUiolata in having toothed 

 petals as shown by Reichenbach's type at Vienna, but the sepals are 

 different, the coherent laterals being equal to the upper sepal. 



COSTA RICA. Lankester j^ (Type in Hort. Bot. Reg. Kew.) 



