Ames & Correll in Fieldiana 26: 155, 1952; Foldats in Anal. 
Univ. Central Venez. 33: 271, 1953; in Lasser, Fl. Venez. 15: 43, 
1970; Hodge in Amer. Orch. Soc. Bull. 23: 38, 1954; Garay in 
Can. Journ. Bot. 34: 346, 1956; C. Schweinf. in Fieldiana 30: 
163, 1958; Schultes, Native Orch. Trinidad & Tobago 69, 1970; 
Garay & Sweet in Howard, FI. Lesser Antill., Orch. 90, 1974: 
Hamer, Orch. El Salvador 2: 339, 1974; Pabst & Dungs, Orch. 
Brasil. 1: 150, 1975. 
Syn.: Humboldtia Ruiz & Pavon,Fl. Peruv. Chil. Prodr. 121, 
1794, non Vahl no. 3518, 1794. 
Dialissa Lindl. in Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 15: 107, 
1845. 
Sepala inter se aequalia vel subaequalia, vulgo patentia, breviter 
vel alte connata, interdum urceolum formantia, raro omnia in 
synsepalum conniventia; textura sive tenuis sive carnosa. Petala 
vulgo carnosa, quam sepala multoties breviora, lata, apice plus 
minusve incrassata. Labellum concavum, carnosum. Calli disci 
nunc transversi, bipartiti, nunc, integri sic basali, nunc lamelli- 
formes six lateraliter oblique inserti. Columna abbreviata, vulgo 
apoda, sursum dilatata, valde carnosa, bibrachiata; clinandrium 
prominenss stigmata 2, in brachiis distinctae, laterales; rostellum 
valde productum; anthera terminalis, opercularis, incumbens; 
pollinia 2, cerea, apice saepius visco parco connexa. 
Herbae epiphyticae vel saxicolae. Caules caespitosi vel re- 
pentes, interdum proliferi, unifoliati, non pseudobulbosi. 
Folium coriaceum, basi saepe in petiolum contractum. Racemi 
elongati, nunquam uniflori; bractae alternae, saepe distichae, 
nunc imbricatae. Flores parvi vel minuti, saepissime secundi. 
LECTOTYPUS: Humboldtia purpurea Ruiz & Pavon 
KEY TO INFRAGENERIC CATEGORIES AND 
ALLIANCES WITHIN CATEGORIES. 
1. Sepals flabellate, i.e., lateral sepals free almost to base, but 
fused half way with dorsal sepal into a 3-lobed synsepal 
er eet tee ee ee ee eee SUBGENUS NEXIPOUS 
