Malawis thlaspiformis A. Richard & Galeotti in Ann. 
Sci. Nat. ser. 8, 3 (1845) 18. 
Microstylis unifola Britton, Sterns & Poggenberg 
Prelim. Cat. Anthoph. & Pterid. N. Y. (1888) 51. 
Microstylis Grisebachiana Fawcett & Rendle in 
Journ. Bot. 47 (1909) 7. 
Malawis Grisebachiana Fawcett & Rendle Fl. Jam. 
1 (1910) 43, t. 6, figs. 18-23. 
A photograph and a sketch with floral analysis of 
Malaais thlaspiformis in our herbarium show that this 
species represents merely a vegetatively enlarged form of 
the widespread North American Malaais unifolia. Ac- 
cording to the drawing, however, the lip of M/.thlaspi- 
Jormis appears to be markedly shorter than the lateral 
sepals while in all the specimens of M.wnifolia examined 
the lip subequals or surpasses the sepals. 
Malavis Grisebachiana, as described and figured by 
Fawcett and Rendle, depends for its separation from MM. 
unifolia on “the auriculate, not cordate, lip, and the posi- 
tion of the leaf nearer the base of the stem.’’ However, 
we ful to distinguish any difference between the terms 
auriculate and cordate, as applied to the lip. Certainly 
we could see no difference in the flower of M. Grise- 
bachiana examined from that of the typical M.unifolia. 
Moreover, the position of the leaf is extremely variable 
in| Malavis unifolia: specimens trom Newfoundland 
(Fernald & Wiegand 3141, 5246) show the leaf about as 
near the base of the plant as in some specimens of JZ. 
Grisebachiana from Jamaica cited by Fawcett and Ren- 
dle. On the other hand, frequent collections from the 
mainland of North America have the leat considerably 
above the middle of the stem. Thus it would appear to 
us that the position of the leaf is not diagnostically im- 
portant or worthy of specific recognition. 
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