OKCHID COLLECTING STANDLEY 377 



most attractive of its group. The sepals and petals (about 3 inches 

 long) are greenish yellow, and the pure white lip is divided into 

 many long threadlike lobes. 



The species of Acincta illustrated (pi. 25) is a relative of the Gon- 

 goras (pi. 15) that are so common in Panama. The Pleurothallis 

 (pi. 2G, fig. 2) is a representative of one of the largest genera of 

 of American orchids. This one, however, is scarcely typical of the 

 genus, since it is a plant several feet high, while the other species 

 seldom attain a height of more than 2 or 3 inches. The 

 species of Pleurothallis, although highly interesting to the botanist, 

 are of no value for cultivation. 



In view of the large collections of orchids that have been made in 

 recent years in Costa Eica and elsewhere in Central America, it is 

 sometimes asked by persons unfamiliar with the region whether 

 there may not be danger of their extinction. It may be stated that 

 there is no danger of this, so far as the operations of collectors for 

 study purposes are concerned. Commercial collectors hunt only the 

 showy plants, and even these are probably in no immediate danger 

 of extermination. In the case of herbarium collections, only a few 

 specimens of a given species are taken, and there is no possibility of 

 exhaustion from this source. The greatest menace is the clearing of 

 the forests for agricultural purposes, which in Salvador has pro- 

 ceeded so far as almost to eliminate the primeval vegetation ; but the 

 rapid extension of the agricultural areas in Central America is far 

 more important and desirable, it is needless to remark, than the pres- 

 ervation of orchid species. In favorable localities in Costa Rica it 

 would be possible to gather in a short time many tons of orchid 

 plants without exhausting the supply. When we remember the in- 

 credible number of seeds produced by orchids, we wonder only that 

 they do not dominate vegetation everywhere in the Tropics. 



