to the apex of the column-foot ; lamina arcuate-recurved 
and spreading, nearly entire to deeply emarginate at the 
apex, simple or three-lobed. Column short, stout, wing- 
less, produced into a foot at the base; anther terminal, 
operculate, incumbent; pollinia four, equal, waxy, later- 
ally compressed. Capsule ellipsoidal. 
The generic name is taken from the Greek, meaning 
‘*wretched, vile, ’’ in allusion to the starveling appearance 
of the type species— Ponera juncifolia. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES 
Plants small, grass-like; stem less than 2 mm. in diameter; leaves 
linear, less than 3 mm. broad ; inflorescence a terminal 2-3-flowered 
raceme; lip distinctly 3-lobed 
2. P. juncifolia 
Plants rather large, reed-like; stem more than 2 mm. in diameter; 
leaves narrowly lanceolate, tapering to the apex, more than 4 mm. 
broad; inflorescences composed of solitary flowers or few-flowered 
subsessile racemes or glomerules, both terminal and lateral; lip 
simple, not distinctly 3-lobed 
Inflorescences composed of dense, stalked glomerules ; flowers near- 
ly concealed by the densely imbricated bracts 
1. P. glomerata 
Inflorescences composed of a solitary flower or several clustered flow- 
ers; flowers completely exposed, not concealed by the bracts 
Lip rhombic-ligulate, tapering to a narrow retuse apex 
4. P. macroglossa 
Lip cuneate or subquadrate, not tapering to a narrow apex 
Petals much longer than the dorsal sepal; sepals and ovary 
densely verrucose; leaf-sheaths smooth; plants normally 
branching 
3. P. longipetala 
Petals about as long as the dorsal sepal; sepals and ovary 
smooth; leaf-sheaths densely verruculose; plants normally 
unbranched 
Inflorescences subtended by several large clasping, imbri- 
cated bracts; flowers essentially sessile, clustered ; lamina 
of the lip typically oblong-cuneate, thin 
5. P. striata 
Inflorescences subtended by inconspicuous bracts ; flowers pe- 
dunculate ; lamina of the lip subquadrate, fleshy-thickened 
6. P. subquadrilabia 
[ 131 | 
