A NEW TELIPOGON FROM COSTA RICA 
BY 
OakEs AMES 
From ALEXANDER F. Sxurcu there has been received 
a rather distinct Costa Rican species of the genus ‘Teli- 
pogon collected in 1937 at Vara Blanca de Sarapiqui. 
From a casual examination of the flowers, it would seem 
that this species is identical with 7°. parvulus as described 
by Charles Schweinfurth in 1937 in the fourth volume 
of the Botanical Museum Leaflets. But on close study it 
becomes quite clear that there are differences between it 
and 7. parvulus which taken together constitute a new 
species. The petals and lip are broader, are more decided- 
ly rhombic than in 7. parvulus, and have fewer nerves; 
the gynostemium bears elongated setose hairs and is not 
merely pubescent. Furthermore, the labellum is charac- 
terized by dark-banded nerves. As originally described, 
T. parvulus was in part differentiated from its allies by 
having 9-nerved petals and a 14-nerved lip. In his mono- 
graph of the genus Telipogon, Fritz Kriinzlin was inclined 
to regard the number of perianth nerves as a substantial 
means of differentiation, but from my studies it has be- 
come evident that the nerves vary from plant to plant of 
the same species if an abundance of material is available 
for study, and is consequently an unreliable guide to spec- 
ificity. Therefore 7’. parvulus should not be separated 
from 7". setosus by the difference in the number of peri- 
anth nerves, but rather by the form and color of the petals 
and lip and by the elongated setose hairs produced by the 
gynostemium. 
Telipogon setosus Ames sp. nov. 
Herba parvula. Caulis vaginis foliorum distichorum 
omnino tectus. Folia lineari-lanceolata, coriacea, extus 
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