120 ORCHIDS OF JAMAICA 



3-3*5 cm. L, 1-5 cm.br., at first covered with three or more scarious 

 membranous sheaths (to 3 cm. 1.) with one leaf at apex. Leaves ligulate, 

 shortly complicate at base, apex somewhat abruptly acute, 14-18 cm. 1., 

 2 cm. br. Peduncles 2-3 cm. 1., several, 1-flowered, with scarious sheaths 

 at base ; pedicel shorter than peduncle or ovary, with one sheathing 

 bract (18 mm. 1.). Flowers creamy-yellow, perianth nearly 1 in. 1. Ovary 

 and pedicel together 3 cm. 1. Septals oblong, about 2 cm. 1., lateral 

 spreading. Petals somewhat oblong, nearly as long as median sepal. 

 Lip nearly as long as sepals. 



Var. minor Faioc. & Bendle in Journ. Bot. xlviii. 108 (1910) ; 

 flowers about half the size ; disk of lip with a linear-tapering 

 deep crimson callus ^ length of lip, and two nerves on each side. 

 (PI. 25, f. 17-19.) 



On trees and rocks; in fl. Aug.-Nov. ; Mt. Moses, 2500 ft., J.P. 2009, 

 Symel Mabess River, 3000 ft., Harris ! Fl. Jam. 7615. Cuba, tropical 

 America. 



Pedicel with one sheathing bract (7-8 mm. 1.). Flowers, perianth 

 in. 1. Sepals 1-1*3 cm. 1., 4*5 mm. br. 



2. M. alba Lindl. Gen. & Sp. Orch. 143 (1832) ; pseudobulbs 

 distant, ellipsoidal, compressed, with hard bases of foliaceous 

 sheaths * lip somewhat fleshy, elliptical, indistinctly 3-lobed, 

 terminal lobe oblong-ovate, slightly hooded and thickened at 

 apex, callus extending from base to beyond the middle. 

 Griseb. op. eit. 626. Dendrobium album Hoolc. Exot. Fl. t. 142 

 (1823-1827). (PI. 25, f. 1-6.) 



On trees and banks ; in fl. Aug.-March ; Sloane Herb. iv. 116* & Ic ! 

 Wiles ! March ! near Cedarhurst ; Mt. Moses ; J.P. 465 ; Morris 1 

 Trelawney, Miss T. M. Barrett I Lancaster, 2500 ft., Harris ! Fl. Jam. 

 7209. Cuba, Trinidad, Guatemala, B. Guiana, Surinam, Brazil. 



Stem stout, 7 cm. and more long. Pseudobulbs to 4 or 5 cm. 1., 

 covered at first with several sheaths, with one leaf at apex. Sheaths 

 in two ranks, imbricate, the outer triangular, acute, short, the inner 

 becoming gradually foliaceous. Leaves ligulate, obliquely and slightly 

 emarginate, to 2*5 dm. and more, 1-5-2 cm. br. Peduncles several, solitary 

 in the axil of a sheath, 1-flowered, bearing several two-ranked scarious 

 narrow acuminate bracts. Flowers, perianth rather more than in. 1., 

 white. Ovary with pedicel (if any) 2-3 cm. 1. Sepals somewhat leathery, 

 9-nerved, oblong-ligulate, acuminate, about 2 cm. 1., nearly 5 mm. br. 

 Petals 9-nerved, oblong-elliptical, somewhat acute, 1*6 cm. 1., 4 mm. br. 

 Lip 1*1-1*2 cm. 1., 4*5 mm. br. Column 8*5 mm. 1. Capsule cylindrical- 

 tapering, 3 cm. 1., bearing the hard persistent column. 



3. M. sessilis comb. nov. ; pseudobulbs poorly developed and 

 inconspicuous, bases of leaves thickened ; lip somewhat fleshy, 

 elliptical, with a narrow terminal portion, obtuse, and with a 

 broad thickened margin, disk with a broad densely tomentose 

 band along the central line to the apex. M. crassifolia Beiclib. f. 

 Bonpl. ii. 16 (1854) * Griseb. op. eit. 626. Epidendrum sessile Sw. 

 Prodr. 122 (1788). Heterotaxis crassifolia Lindl. in Bot. Beg. 



