sheaths which are very minutely muriculate on the angles 
and terminate in a spreading, ovate, marginate, hispid 
mouth. Leaf erect, very shortly petioled, rather thick 
and fleshy; lamina oval to oblong-elliptic, obtuse, cune- 
ate below, marginate, 15-21 mm. long, up to 9 mm. wide; 
petiole about 3 mm. long. Inflorescences axillary, 1-4 
(rarely 6) to astem, much surpassing the leaves, a single 
one floriferous at a time, suberect to flexuous or spread- 
ing, about 4.5-5 em. long: peduncle filiform, with sev- 
eral, inconspicuous, remote, tubular sheaths; raceme 
densely secund-flowered, about 1-2 cm. long. Floral 
bracts minute, infundibuliform. Flowers few to numer- 
ous, horizontal, with widely spreading segments, deep 
wine-color or bright purple. Dorsal sepal lanceolate- 
ovate, rather abruptly narrowed to a subacute tip, 1- 
nerved, about 2-8 mm. long and 1-1.5 mm. wide. Lat- 
eral sepals similar, obliquely ovate-lanceolate, connate 
near the base, with outcurved, acuminate tips, about 
2-3.2 mm. long, up to 1.2 mm. wide. Petals much 
smaller than the sepals, elliptic-ovate, acute, 1-nerved, 
about 0.9-1.2 mm. long and 0.5-0.9 mm. wide. Lip 
shorter than the petals but broader, orbicular in outline, 
about 0.8-1.1 mm. in greatest length and equally broad, 
with a pair of basal, retrorse obliquely triangular-incurved 
auricles, 8-nerved, rather fleshy. Column minute, yel- 
lowish or creamy white. 
This species, which has the characteristic appearance 
of the genus, appears to be most closely allied to the 
Colombian Lepanthopsis acuminata Ames, but is a larger 
plant, with less acuminate sepals, dissimilar lip and dif- 
ferently colored flowers. 
Venezurta: Bolivar [Mount], Ptari-tepui, at 1600-2000 meters al- 
titude, epiphytic, occasional in the southwest slope forest, flowers 
deep wine-color with yellowish column, December 17, 1952, Bassett 
Maguire & John J. Wurdack 33866 (Vyrr in Herb. Ames No. 68948). 
Bolivar, El Dorado road, 22 km. south of camp km. 88, “‘sepals and 
petals bright purple with smooth-glandular surface.’’ G. C. K. Dun- 
sterville 425 (Herb. Garay No. 6956). 
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