Sepals dissimilar, connivent, subparallel, with somewhat 
arcuately spreading apices; dorsal sepal deeply cucullate, free 
from column; lateral sepals oblique and decurrent on column- 
foot. Petals agglutinate with dorsal sepal, more or less sinuous, 
with a decurrent base. Lip more or less sigmoid with a condupli- 
cate base of which the margins callose-thickened; the main blade 
is recurved and in middle the margins agglutinate with sides of 
column. Column short, cylindric, basally produced in a long, 
decurrent foot; stigmata 2, confluent or V-shaped; rostellum 
rigid, very sharply pointed and at base on both sides provided 
rather obscurely with a tooth. Anther cucullate or umbonate; 
pollinia clavate with a linear viscidium. Ovary obliquely ovoid 
or fusiform. 
Terrestrial, tall plants. Roots fasciculate, fleshy-thickened, 
stipitate. Leaves mostly basal or near base, decreasing upward 
into bracts. Stem erect, terminated by a many-flowered, cylin- 
drical, rather densely-flowered spike. Flowers medium in size 
with hardly ringent sepals. 
TYPE: Spiranthes rupestris Lindl. 
12 species native to Brazil and adjacent countries to south and 
southeast. 
Index to species. 
Skeptrostachys Arechavaletanii (Barb.Rodr.) Garay, comb. nov. 
Basionym: Stenorrhynchus Arechavaletanii Barb.Rodr. in Contr. 
Jard.Bot. Rio 4: 99, 1907. 
Skeptrostachys balanophorostachya (Rchb.f. & Warm.) Garay, comb. nov. 
Basionym: Spiranthes balanophorostachya Rchb.f. & Warm., Otia Bot. 
Hamb. 2: 54, 1881. 
Skeptrostachys Berroana (Krzl.) Garay, comb. nov. 
Basionym: Stenorrhynchus Berroanus Krzl. in Svensk Vet. Akad. Handl. 
46(10): 26, 1911. 
Skeptrostachys congestiflora (Cogn.) Garay, comb. nov. 
Basionym: Stenorrhynchus congestiflorus Cogn. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 3(4): 
539, 1895. 
Skeptrostachys disoides (Krzl.) Garay, comb. nov. 
Basionym: Spiranthes disoides Krzl. in Svensk Vet. Akad. Handl. 46(10): 
a3, tent, 
Skeptrostachys gigantea (Cogn.) Garay, comb. nov. 
Basionym: Stenorrhynchus giganteus Cogn. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 3(6): 533, 
1906. 
359 
