s 



NOTES ON PHILIPPINE ORCHIDS 



WITH DESCRIPTION OF NEW SPECIES, VII 



INCE the publication of my enumeration of the genera and 

 species of Philippine orchids in the fifth fascicle of the pres- 

 ent work numerous collections have been received, both from the 

 Bureau of Science and from private collectors, that have con- 

 tained new or noteworthy species. Although it has been impos- 

 sible on account of the war to make a detailed study of the ma- 

 terial that has accumulated, I have set aside from time to time, 

 specimens that seem to be obviously new to the Philippine flora. 

 Such of these as proved to be undescribed or worthy of attention 

 are included in the following list. 



It has become apparent thatnumerous genera of Philippine or- 

 chids need to be thoroughly reworked if we are to profit from the 

 material that has been referred, often tentatively, to various spe- 

 cies that were originally described from a limited number of speci- 

 mens or from a single plant. This is true especially of Bulbophyl- 

 lum, Dendrobium, Dendrochilum, Eria, Liparis and Malaxis. 

 In these genera there are many species that may be too laxly de- 

 fined or too closely circumscribed. Critical work in the field may 

 be necessary, together with a careful study of Malayan types, to 

 solve some of the problems suggested by IVIalaxis. This genus 

 constitutes a very puzzling group which, when studied from her- 

 barium material, presents an exasperating number of perplexities. 

 Dendrochilum needs to be examined very thoroughly from the 

 point of view of distribution. It would seem that many species 

 of the section Acoridium are localized or restricted in their range 

 to the higher altitudes of isolated mountains. Here we have an 

 opportunity for investigations that may conclusively prove that 



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