ORCHIDACE^ 



suberect from a decumbent base, usually with one immature 

 branch above, entirely concealed by the tightly clasping leaf 

 sheaths, laterally flattened, zigzag, yellow, shining, terminated 

 at the nodes by a narrow dark band, in late development bare 

 of leaves and leaf sheaths; the internodes ±2 cm. long. Leaves 

 ±5 cm. long, 9 mm. broad near the base, the uppermost abruptly 

 much smaller, distichous, spreading, rigid, narrowly lanceolate, 

 rounded at the clasping base, gradually narrowed to the broad 

 obtusely bilobed apex, the mid-nerve prominently sulcate above 

 and carinate beneath, usually more or less contorted. Flowers 

 apparently successive, rising singly from glomerules of ovate 

 scarious imbricated bracts, opposite the upper leaves. Perianth 

 segments fleshy, connivent. Sepals strongly concave, particularly 

 the dorsal sepal. Lateral sepals about 8 mm. long, 9 mm. wide, 

 broadly triangular, very oblique, obtuse, the basal anterior por- 

 tion forming a deep pouch-shaped mentum, more or less dis- 

 tinctly five-nerved. Dorsal sepal ±8.5 mm. long, 5.2 mm. wide 

 below the middle, ovate, obtuse, five-nerved. Petals about 7 mm. 

 long, 1.5 mm. wide, linear, in the upper portion abruptly nar- 

 rowed to a subacute tip, three-nerved. Lip about 1 cm. long, sub- 

 equally broad at the apex, connate with the column foot, parallel 

 to the column in natural position, decurved, cuneate-flabellate in 

 outline, four-lobed ; lateral lobes conspicuously spreading, cune- 

 ate-ligulate, dorsally rounded near the apex, with the anterior 

 margins truncate erose and ciliate, provided near the apex with 

 a central callose thickening; middle lobe two-lobed as far as the 

 callus, the lobules linear, divergent, much shorter and smaller 

 than the lateral lobes, the base hidden by a prominent three- 

 toothed, very fleshy callus. Column very short, stout, thickened 

 above, curving imperceptibly into the foot which is saccate-con- 

 cave. 



[113] 



