bove, glabrous below, puberulent above. Raceme loosely 
many-flowered, about 9 cm. long; rachis puberulent. 
Flowers horizontally spreading. Floral bracts lanceolate, 
acuminate, scarious, 8-nerved. Perianth membranaceous 
except the lip. Dorsal sepal elliptic-lanceolate, concave, 
about 5.8 mm. long and 2 mm. wide, cucullate-rounded 
at the apex, 3-nerved. Lateral sepals linear-lanceolate, 
obtuse, about 6 mm. long and 1.2 mm. wide, 3-nerved, 
longitudinally concave. Petals adherent to the dorsal se- 
pal forming a galea, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, falcate, 
obtuse, about 6 mm. long and 1.6 mm. wide in the middle, 
3-nerved through the lower half and 1-nerved through- 
out. Lip ovate-oblong in outline, shortly unguiculate, 
about 6 mm. long; lamina pandurate-subquadrate, with 
the apical third rather abruptly narrowed into an oblong- 
ligulate lobule; lower portion oblong-pandurate, about 
4.3mm. long, about 2.5 mm. wide near the base and apex, 
cordate at the base where are situated a pair of incurved 
indusium-like calli, thickened through the central por- 
tion; apical portion relatively small, 1.6 mm. long, about 
1 mm. wide or more, rounded at the tip. Column about 
5 mm. long, slender, pubescent on the anterior surface, 
extended into a short foot; anther elongate, cordate- 
oblong. 
Spiranthes sparsifiora has a lip that suggests WS. elata 
(Sw.) L.C. Rich. in its lower portion and 8. cranichoides 
(Griseb.) Cogn. in its anterior portion. The leaves, how- 
ever, are different from those of both species. The lip 
somewhat resembles that of iS. costaricensis Reichb.f. 
which has very different basal calli. 
Mexico, State of Morelos, Chapultepec, “‘4 km. east of Cuerna- 
vaca in leafmould on rocks near brook. Fls. dingy grey-white. L-lobes 
yellow.’’ At 1500 meters altitude. Leaves collected October 17, 1932; 
flowers (in pot) March 17, 1933. Erik M. Ostlund 1554 (Collector O. 
Nagel) (Typ in Herb. Ames No. 42369). 
[ 109 | 
