thus hymenophorus from the Reichenbach Herbarium 
has a nearly erect raceme as in 1. discolor, while a floral 
analysis on the same sheet shows a suborbicular dentate 
lip and the triangular tip to the rostellum described for 
Ei. discolor. Furthermore, a series of specimens of LH. hy- 
menophorus in our herbarium shows more or less erect 
racemes. 
As now conceived, M/leanthus hymenophorus extends 
from Costa Rica, through Panama and Colombia to 
Peru. 
Altensteinia fimbriata Humboldt, Bonpland & 
Kunth Nov. Gen. et Sp. 1 (1816) 333, t. 72. 
A ltensteinia sceptrum Reichenbach filius Xen. Orch. 
1 (1854) 18, nomen subnudum. 
Altensteinia boliviensis Rolfe in Mem. Torr. Bot. 
Club 4 (1895) 265. 
The concept Altensteinia sceptrum was in part sep- 
arated from 4. fimbriata by its twice larger stature; but, 
in view of the great variation in size in A. fimbriata, this 
distinction seems inconsequential. A further character- 
ization attributed to 4. sceptrum is that the lip is orbic- 
ular. However, a specimen in our herbarium bearing the 
data of the type collection of 4. sceptrum shows the 
round-ovate lip common to A. fimbriata. 
Altensteinia boliviensis was described as ‘‘a less vig- 
orous plant”* than A. fimbriata, ‘‘with distinctly smaller 
flowers.’’ However, we have seen a Peruvian collection 
of A. fimbriata ( Machbride & Featherstone 1225) which 
is an even smaller plant than typical A. boliviensis but 
has considerably larger flowers than that concept with a 
suborbicular, not elliptical, lip. 
Another Peruvian collection (Herrera 3503) has 
measurements which appear nearly identical with those 
of A.boliviensis, but the lip is suborbicular, not elliptical 
as described. 
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