Campylocentrum Lehmanni (Rehb.f.) Schltr. in Fedde 
Repert. Beih. 8 (1921) 164. 
An excellent record of the type of the Hcuadorian 
Aéranthus Lehmanni in the Ames Herbarium reveals 
that this concept is undoubtedly referable to the genus 
Cryptocentrum. Apparently C. Jamesonu Benth, is the 
only other species of the genus which has been reported 
from Keuador. Although these two taxa seem to be very 
similar vegetatively, C. Lehmanni may be separated by 
the presence of six to seven sheaths on the peduncle in 
contrast to one or two in C. Jamesonu, as well as by the 
pandurate and long-acuminate lip in the former, whereas 
it is ovate in the latter. 
In his system of the Orchidaceae, Schlechter assigned 
the genus Cryptocentrum to the subtribe Maaillarieae. 
In view of the peculiar vegetative and floral structures, 
however, I cannot agree with this opinion. We find here 
a type of vegetative growth closely resembling a mono- 
podial development. The leaves are arranged distichously 
on a shortened stem, but only a few terminal ones seem 
to be persistent, at least during anthesis, while the lower 
part of the stem bears the remnants of the sheathing 
bases of the leaves of previous years. ‘The one-flowered 
peduncles are always borne in the axils of these sheath- 
ing bases on the lower portion of the stem. This condi- 
tion is observable in every species assigned to Cryptocen- 
trum, with the exception of C. pseudobulbosum Schweint. 
In C. pseudobulbosum, we find, in addition, a well devel- 
oped pseudobulb, quite an unusual condition, but, from 
the systematic point of view, exceedingly important. 
With the evidence from C. pseudobulbosum, it is obvious 
that this genus has to be kept among the genera with 
sympodial growth. It may be mentioned as a mere curi- 
osity that this vegetative growth is entirely homologous 
with that of the old world genus Phreatia. 
C212) 
