ORCHIDACE^ 



lobatum, parte media longitudinal! incrassata, medio in disco 

 callus triangularis valde carnosus stat; lobi laterales subquadrati, 

 membranacei, marginibus anterioribus et lateralibus angulum 

 acutum facientibus ; lobus medius triangularis, marginibus prae- 

 cipue valdissime carnosus. Gynostemium breve, crassum. 



Plant robust, when fresh apparently fleshy. Stems stout, 

 woody, entirely concealed by leaf sheaths, sheathed stem ±6 mm. 

 thick. Roots puncturing the leaf sheaths, stout, fibrous, flexuous, 

 rigid, longitudinally sulcate, about 2-3 mm. thick, apparently 

 unbranched. Leaf sheaths more or less coriaceous and striate-ner- 

 vose. Leaves distichous, spreading, up to 16.5 cm. long, 2.2 cm. 

 broad below the middle (immature blades sometimes 9 cm. long, 

 1.5 cm. broad), linear-lanceolate to linear, rounded at the more 

 or less obliquely bilobed apex, shghtly narrowed to a compli- 

 cate sessile base, rising at intervals of ±2 cm., coriaceous, appar- 

 ently fleshy in the living specimen, many-nerved with the mid- 

 nerve more or less sulcate above and sharply carinate beneath. 

 Peduncles puncturing the leaf sheaths, conspicuously exceeding 

 the leaves, spreading-ascending, about 15.8-29 cm. long including 

 the raceme, provided with several inconspicuous tubular sheaths 

 which are imbricating at the base and remote above. Rachis 

 about 7-16.5 cm. long (sometimes very short), more or less arcu- 

 ate, laterally flattened, zigzag with short intervals, sulcate in the 

 dried specimen and apparently fleshy in the living plant. Bracts 

 of the inflorescence about 6-6.5 mm. long, distichous, equitant, 

 about 5 mm. apart, strongly complanate with a broad dorsal keel, 

 ovate-triangular, clasping, rounded at the apex, cymbiform, ru- 

 gose in the dried plant. Flowers medium-sized, when expanded 

 about 3 cm. broad, pellucid in the dried specimen. Lateral sepals 

 aboutl.5 cm.long,8.4 mm. broad belowthe middle, ovate-oblong, 

 five-nerved, just below the broadly rounded apex provided dor- 



[ 218 ] 



