prominent, stout, ascending, closely enveloped by eva- 
nescent sheaths. Stems apparently in pairs, with a more 
or less decumbent base, 1-leaved at the apex, 8-13.5 cm. 
long, adorned with three tubular evanescent sheaths of 
which the uppermost is the largest. Leaf erect or ascend- 
ing, more or less distinctly petioled, 4.7-9.6 cm. long, 
lamina oblanceolate (rarely elliptic), acute with a mi- 
nutely tridenticulate apex, gradually narrowed below 
into a petioled base, about 8.5-8 cm. long, up to 1.8 
cm. wide, coriaceous. Racemes one to three, longer or 
rarely slightly shorter than the leaf, erect or suberect, 
loosely to subdensely several- to many-flowered, about 
15.5 em. or less high, sometimes with a fractiflex rachis, 
subtended by a conduplicate acuminate spathe up to 1.7 
cm. long. Floral bracts small, infundibuliform, acute, 
spreading. Flowers relatively large for the genus, ap- 
parently purplish. Sepals 3-nerved, submembranaceous, 
ciliate and very minutely pubescent within. Dorsal sepal 
shortly connate with the lateral sepals at the base, ovate 
or elliptic-ovate, subacute, about 6.9 mm. long and 4.1 
mm. wide. Lateral sepals more or less deeply connate, 
obliquely suborbicular-ovate, obtuse to subacute, about 
5.1 mm. long and 4.9 mm. wide. Petals much smaller 
than the sepals, suborbicular, broadly rounded to obtuse 
at the apex, 3-nerved, fleshy-thickened above, about 1.3 
mm. long and 1.75 mm. wide. Lip very fleshy, smaller 
than the petals, ovate, truncate at base, with subcordate 
erect sides, obtuse, about 1 mm. long and 1 mm. wide 
in natural position; disc filled with a fleshy thickening 
which is bilobed near the base and concave toward the 
front. Column very short and fleshy, dilated upward, 
3-lobed with a large ovate-triangular mid-lobe. 
This species outwardly simulates the Peruvian Ste/is 
densiflora Lindl., but lacks the 5-nerved sepals and tri- 
angular apex to the lip. It differs from the Bolivian S. 
[ 20 ] 
