coulour as the sepals, as seems to be implied, then it is 
probable that the West Indian plant forms a distinct 
species.” 
What basis Lindley had for his comments on the 
length of the leaves and the manner of growth of the stem 
in Swartz’s plant is not clear. Swartz, so far as we know, 
did not mention the exact length of the leaves of his 
specimen. However, he did state that the stem of his 
plant was ‘‘geniculato’’—not erect. In these two concepts 
the color of the flowers seems to have been identical. 
Although it should have been evident that both 
Swartz and Lindley were concerned with the same spe- 
cies when they wrote their individual descriptions, au- 
thors, with few exceptions, have continued to maintain 
both names. Lindley’s Chloidia decumbens has been ac- 
cepted for South American plants; whereas Swartz’s 
Serapias flava, in turn, has been adopted for West In- 
dian and Central American plants. This arbitrary accept- 
ance of these two names has not only resulted in utter 
confusion in literature, but has retarded a realization of 
the true identity of the species of Corymborchis in this 
hemisphere. 
In 1891, Otto Kuntze (Rev. Gen. Pl. 2, p. 658) 
combined these two concepts, which have yellow flowers 
with a lanceolate lip, under the new combination, Corym- 
borchis flava. 
Corymborchis flava (Sw. ) O. Kuntze Rev. Gen. 
Pl. 2 (1891) 658. 
Serapias flava Swartz Nov. Gen. & Sp. PI. Prodr. 
(1788) 119. 
Neottia flava Swartz Fl. Ind. Occ. (1806) 1417. 
Chloidia decumbens Lindley Gen. & Sp. Orch. PI. 
(1840) 484. 
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