ORCHIDACE.E 



Lateral sepals approximately 6 mm. long, 2 mm. wide near the 

 middle, triangular-lanceolate, acute, somewhat thickened near 

 the tip, decurrent on the curved foot of the column at base, form- 

 ing an obtuse mentum 2 mm. long. Dorsal sepal 6 mm. long, 

 oblong, ligulate, acute, conspicuously one-nerved along the mid- 

 dle, similar to the lateral sepals. Petals 2-2.5 mm. long, about 

 1 mm. wide below the middle, much smaller than the sepals, ob- 

 long, obtuse, conspicuously one-nerved. Labellum about 4 mm. 

 long and 2 mm. wide, simple, linguiform, elliptical-oblong when 

 spread out, obtuse, conspicuously three-nerved, deflexed above 

 the middle, basal half with the sides erect, ecallose. Gynoste- 

 mium very short, from the tip to base of column-foot scarcely 

 1 mm. long, terminating on each side in a triangular tooth ; foot 

 1.5 mm. long. Anther with a cucullate tip. Pollinia two. 



JBulbophyllum nigroscapum is a member of that puzzling 

 group of the genus for which Dr. Rudolf Schlechter proposed 

 the section Aphanobulbon. It is closely related to B. anguipes 

 Schltr., a native of the Celebes, and to B. dasypetalum Rolfe of 

 the Philippine Islands. The section Aphanobulbon is character- 

 ized by the racemose inflorescence and by extraordinarily re- 

 duced pseudobulbs which are represented by disc-like thicken- 

 ings on a more or less elongated rhizome. B. nigroscapum, as its 

 name implies, possesses in dried specimens a blackish scape which 

 forms a striking contrast with the scarious floral bracts. Whether 

 or not this characteristic is to be noticed in fresh material is not 

 reported by the collector. (Plate 114.) 



Samoa, Tutuila Island, " Vao sosolo i le la'ou." On trees at about 1800 

 feet altitude. Flowers cream color. Collected by M. C. Collarino, July 19, 

 1920. {No. 383 of W. A. Setchell's distribution of plants collected on Tu- 

 tuila Island under the auspices of the Department of Biology of the Car- 

 negie Institution of Washington, D. C.) 



[87] 



