der, woody, leafless below, but concealed by close tubular 
whitish sheaths. Leaves two to four clustered near the 
end of the branches, linear to linear-lanceolate, up to 
16.5 cm. long and 7 mm. wide, long-attenuate with an 
acute apex, subcoriaceous, slightly narrowed to a sessile 
base. Inflorescence racemose, few-flowered (up to five), 
shorter than the leaves, lax to nodding; peduncle ex- 
ceeding the rachis in length, adorned below the middle 
with a single lanceolate-linear bract; rachis abbreviated, 
fractiflex. Floral bracts narrowly triangular-lanceolate, 
inconspicuous, membranaceous. Flowers ‘‘intricately 
marked with dull red on greenish-yellow background.’ 
Sepals and petals spreading and strongly revolute, with 
prominent nerves. Lateral sepals lanceolate-elliptic to 
lanceolate-oval, 11.3-11.8 mm. long, 4.1—5.4 mm. wide, 
dorsally carinate at the apex and usually apiculate, more 
or less asymmetric. Dorsal sepal oblanceolate to oblan- 
ceolate-elliptic, obtuse sometimes with a dorsal mucro at 
the apex, 10.5-12 mm. long, 3.5—4.2 mm. wide. Petals 
oblanceolate to oblong-oblanceolate, 11-12 mm. long, 
3.2—4.6 mm. wide, acute to rounded and slightly retuse 
at the apex. Lip triangular-ovate in general outline, 
somewhat contracted above the middle on each side caus- 
ing the lip to appear slightly trilobulate, retuse at the 
apex, cordate at the base, 8.1—-11.2 mm. long from base 
of auricles to tip of lobules, 9.5—13 mm. wide below the 
middle, with irregularly crenulate margins except toward 
the base; dise with a prominent, central, fleshy, broadly 
clavate-elliptic callus which is deeply bisuleate at base 
and extends to the apex of the lip. Column adnate to 
the dise of the lip nearly to its apex, strongly dilated 
above, with an oblique retrorse tooth on either side of 
the apex, about 7 mm. long dorsally. Ovary with a more 
or less distinct vesicle at its summit under the lip. 
Epidendrum Skutchii is a close ally of E.ledifolium 
[5] 
