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BOTANICAL MUSEUM LEAFLETS 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
CamsBripGe, Massacnusetts, May 9, 1940 Vou. 8, No. 6 
THE GENUS PALMORCHIS 
BY 
CHARLES SCHWEINFURTH AND DOoNoVAN S. CORRELL 
THE HIstToRY of the genus Palmorchis is not only in- 
teresting but instructive. In 1877, this genus, including 
two species, P. pubescens and P.sobraloides, both natives 
of Brazil, was proposed by Barbosa Rodrigues. 
In 1898, R.A. Rolfe published Jenmania typified by 
Jenmania elata, a plant of Trinidad and British Guiana. 
In the same year, Zahlbruckner changed the name Jen- 
mania to Rolfea in honor of Rolfe, because the name 
Jenmania was preoccupied by that of a lichen. 
In the original diagnosis of Jenmania elata, Rolfe 
compared it with the genus Palmorchis and considered 
it to be distinct. However, in view of a later published 
figure and description of Rolfea elata (Hook. Icon. PI. 
10, pt. 4 (1918) t. 2989), the separation of these two con- 
cepts seems to us unjustifiable. 
In a comparison between the description of Palm- 
orchis pubescens and of Rolfea elata, the only significant 
differences appear to be that in Palmorchis the petals are 
described and illustrated as being slightly broader than 
the sepals and the clinandrium as being provided on each 
side with a small tooth—characters which do not appear 
in Rolfea. 
In 1901, Cogniaux referred the two species described 
under Palmorchis to Sobraha naming them S. pubescens 
and S. Rodriguesu. It seems to us inconceivable, how- 
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