cinata. While they are not truly uncinate, as in most ex- 
amples of Malaxis uncinata, these basal auricles appear 
somewhat diverse in shape varying from broadly triangu- 
lar to linear or linear-triangular and curved forward. One 
flower of a Costa Rican collection of so-called Microstylis 
hastilabia (Brenes 32) shows a lip with one basal auricle 
uncinate, and the other wide-spreading slightly curved 
and sigmoid near the apex. It appears, therefore, that the 
basal auricles are variable in shape, all the more so be- 
‘ause those of specimens from South America are almost 
straight and little spreading. 
The type of Malavis uncinata appears to agree very 
well in size and character with Ridley’s description of 
Microstylis hastilahia in his monograph of the genus 
(Journ. Linn. Soc. 24 (1888) 325). 
Malavis hastilabia is a Costa Rican species, but is 
also reported (or specimens have been seen) from Guate- 
mala, Colombia, British Guiana, Brazil and Peru. 
Malaxis Javesiae (Reichb.f.) Ames in Proc. Biol. 
Soc. Wash. 35 (1922) 84. 
Microstylis Javesiae Reichenbach filius in Flora 71 
(1888) 152. 
Malavis mexicana Ames in Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 
B5 (1922) 82. 
The only notable difference between the above con- 
cepts is that Malaais Javesiae appears to be uniformly 
monophyllous, while the single specimen that comprises 
the type of M. mexicana is diphyllous. However, the 
presence of one or two subopposite leaves in the genus 
Malaxis is of extremely variable occurrence in representa- 
tives of one species, and the character can scarcely have 
diagnostic weight. The stem of Malaais mexicana ap- 
pears to be stouter than that of MZ. Javesiae. 
This species is known to occur only in Mexico. 
[119 ] 
