ORCHIDACEtE 



sheaths, the upper portion (one-third to one-fourth of the entire 

 height) leafless; the internodes 2-3 cm. long, yellow, shining, ter- 

 minated by a dark band, the uppermost concealed by scarious 

 sheaths. Leaves up to 8 cm. long, 4.9 mm. broad across the base 

 although usually about 3.5 mm. wide (the lowermost and upper- 

 most blades much smaller), distichous, equitant, narrowly linear, 

 widely spreading, strongly falcate, decurved, obtuse or subacute, 

 coriaceous, rigid. Flowers apparently successive, borne singly in 

 the axils of scarious (becoming fibrous) bracts which are situ- 

 ated at the nodes of the leafless, sinuous, terminal axis. Lateral 

 sepals about 7 mm. long, 6.8 mm. wide, broadly ovate-triangular, 

 obtuse or subacute, very oblique, falcate with the dorsal margin 

 very convex, forming a deeply saccate mentum with the column 

 foot, prominently three-nerved. Dorsal sepal about 7 mm. long, 

 4.2 mm. wide in the middle, ovate-lanceolate, acute or subacute, 

 concave, with three prominent nerves. Petals about 6.5 mm. 

 long, 3.1 mm. wide, oblong to elliptic-oblong, obtuse or acute, 

 three-nerved, very variable in size and shape. Lip clawed, semi- 

 orbicular in outline, three-lobed; claw ±2.2 mm. long, ligulate, 

 channeled, thickened above; limb sharply reflexed, ±7 mm. long, 

 ±1.3 cm. broad across the lateral lobes ; lateral lobes about 5 mm. 

 long, 4 mm. wide, rounded oval, horizontally spreading, erect in 

 natural position ; middle lobe about 4.5 mm. long, 5.3 mm. broad, 

 suborbicular in outline, deeply bilobed to below the middle, the 

 lobules semi-orbicular, approximate ; a transverse fleshy keel ex- 

 tends from center to center of the lateral lobes and is triangularly 

 dilated above each sinus; a small, median, narrow, somewhat 

 three-lobed, V-shaped callus near the claw. Column short, stout, 

 ±2.7 mm. long, provided with a broad saccate upcurving foot. 



Plants of Clemens 226 show stouter stems, little larger leaves 

 and less perfect slightly smaller flowers than the type. 



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