PLEUROTHALLIS HIRSUTA 



Pleurothallis hirsuta Ames Orchidace^, Fasc. ii. p. 270 



(1908) with fig. 



Plants densely c^espitose. Secondary stems 2-2.5 cm. long, semi- 

 terete, grooved in front, clothed near the base with an elongated 

 tubular sheath which is green when the leaves are immature and 

 scarious when they approach maturity. Leaf elliptic-oblong, tri- 

 dentate or retuse-apiculate at the apex, 3-5.5 cm. long, 1-2 cm. 

 wide, rigid, coriaceous, with a conspicuous median groove. 

 Raceme exceeding the leaves. Floral bracts tubular, obliquely 

 truncate, acuminate, acute at the apex, 2.5-3 mm. long, much 

 shorter than the pedicels. Pedicels 6 mm. long, slender, minutely 

 spotted with madder-purple. Flowers 4-10, green in the bud, 

 when mature, greenish yellow, densely and irregularly spotted 

 with madder-purple, partly covered by purplish hairs. Lateral 

 sepals apiculate, semi-elliptical, cohering to about the middle, 

 4-6 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, together forming a somewhat 

 orbicular plate; outer half of each sepal yellow, spotted with 

 purple and rather densely hairy, inner half almost uniform 

 brown-purple. Ujoper sepal 6-8 mm. long, colored similarly to 

 the outer half of the lateral sepals, somewhat winged dorsally 

 along the median nerve, convex above, concave near the base, 

 margin hirsute, with purplish hairs. Petals spathulate, obtuse, 

 3 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide near the tip, yellowish with brown- 

 purple spots. Apical half of the labellum 2 mm. long, oblong, 

 obtuse, bicarinate or bilamellate; basal half, or claw, linear, about 

 2 mm. long. Column 3 mm. long, slender, erect, purple-spotted, 

 irregularly and deeply toothed or fringed at the apex. 

 Mexico: 1905, C. G. Pringle (nos. 8095, 10158 in herb. Ames). 



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