LYCASTE 



LYCASTE 



1925 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



A. Middle lobe of lip semi-oblong or 

 rounded, usually obtuse or truncate. 



B. Lip pilose with long hairs 1. lasioglossa 



BB. Lip glabrous or short-pubescent. _ 

 c. Fls. white, sometimes green-tinged^ 

 (some white forms of L. Skinneri 

 might be sought here). 

 D. Sepals ivory-white; disk-plate 



grooved and emarginate 2. costata 



DD. Sepals greenish white; disk- 

 plate with 3-5 parallel raised 



lines 3 lanipes 



cc. Fls. not entirely white. 

 D. Petal white. 



E. Sepals oblong, but little longer 



than petals. 

 F. Front lobe of lip entire} 



sepals pale green 4. Candida 



FF. Front lobe of lip denticu- 

 late; sepals olive 6. plana 



EE. Sepals lanceolate, much 



longer than petals 6. Schilleriana 



DD. Petals not white. 



E. The lip toothed or fringed. 

 F. Sepals and petals olive, 

 much longer than the 

 maroon orange-bordered 



lip 7. gigantea 



FF. Sepals and petals dull green, 

 about as long as the green 



white-bordered lip 8. locusta 



EE. The lip entire. 



F. Size of fls. 8 in. across or 

 less; sepals yellowish 

 green. 



G. S e p a I s and petals 

 streaked with red- 

 brown; lip white 9. tetragona 



OG. Sepals and petals not 



marked; lip yellow. 

 H. Base of lip blood-red; 



front lobe quadrate. 10. cruenta 

 HH. Base of lip yellow; 

 front lobe oblong- 

 ovate 11. macrobulbon 



FF. Size of fls. 5-6 in. across; 

 sepals rose (white in 



some forms') 12 Skinneri 



AA. Middle lobe of lip spatulate 13. aromatica 



AAA. Middle lobe of lip ovate-acuminate. ... 14. Deppei 



1. lasioglossa, Reichb. f. Pseudobulbs 3 in. long, 

 ovoid, compressed: Ivs. &-12 in. long, elliptic-lanceo- 

 late: scape 1-fld.; fls. 5 in. across; sepals spreading, 

 narrowly oblong, dull brown or greenish brown; petals 

 one-third as long, erect, concave, obtuse, golden yellow; 

 labellum as long as the petals, also golden yellow; lateral 

 lobes short, obtuse; middle lobe oblong, covered with 

 long, soft hairs; callus ovate, notched. Autumn and 

 winter. Guatemala. B.M. 6251. G.M. 44:179. Very 

 odd but not showy. 



2. costata, Pseudobulbs oblong, compressed, 3-5 in. 

 long: Ivs. 2-3 at the apex, 6-10 in. long, broadly oblong- 

 lanceolate, acuminate : scape erect, as long as the pseudo- 

 bulb; fls. large, nearly white or creamy yellow; dorsal 

 sepals oblong-lanceolate, the lateral sepal similar but 

 falcate, united with the column to form a blunt spur; 

 petals smaller, somewhat undulate; lateral lobes of the 

 labellum small, erect; middle lobe ovate-rotund, toothed. 

 Peru. B.M. 5706 (as L. Barringtonise var. grandiflora) . 

 J.H. III. 42:5. C.O. 10. 



3. linipes, Lindl. Pseudobulbs large: Ivs. lanceolate, 

 12-18 in. long: fls. solitary, as many as 15 on a plant, 

 creamy white; sepals and petals oblong-lanceolate; 

 labellum smooth; lateral lobes ovate-obtuse; middle 

 lobe oblong, obtuse, serrate, with a concave, ribbed 

 callus. Oct. Ecuador. Lindley says the fls. are pale 

 green, 2% in. long before they expand, without a trace 

 of any other color. 



4. Candida, Lindl. (L. brcmspatha, Klotzsch). 

 Pseudobulbs ovoid, much compressed: Ivs. oblong- 

 acuminate: fls. about 2 in. across; sepals spreading, re- 

 flexed and acute at the apices, oblong, slightly woolly 

 at base, yellowish green, sometimes dotted with light 

 rose; petals whitish, revolute, obtuse; labellum white, 

 with a few rose-colored spots; disk -plate obtuse, emar- 

 ginate at the apex; column hairy on the inner surface. 

 Costa Rica. C.O. 6. Var. Lawrenceana, Hort. Sepals 

 and petals tinted with rose, otherwise the fls. are like 

 those of the type. Var. rubra has been offered. 



5. plkna, Lindl. A robust plant, with large ribbed 

 pseudobulbs and ample-pointed oval Ivs. : fls. 3-4 in. 

 across; sepals oblong, plane, rich madder-red inside; 

 petals smaller, with recurved tips, white, tipped with 

 crimson; labellum smaller, white spotted with crimson; 

 side lobes crenulate; middle lobe rounded, obtuse, 

 serrate, crested. Winter. Bolivia. B.R. 29:35. Var. 

 Measuresiana, Williams. Sepals reddish brown, tipped 

 with green; petals and labellum white spotted with 

 bright rose, except on the margins of the petals. Autumn. 



6. Schilleriana, Reichb. f . Plant resembling L. Skin- 

 neri in habit: pseudobulbs 2-lvd.: Ivs. elongate-lanceo- 

 late, up to 2 ft. long: scape 1-fld., suberect, 8 in. long; 

 sepals large, spreading, oblong-lanceolate, 4 in. long, 

 brown; petals erect, with recurved tips, small, IK in- 

 long, white, speckled with brown on the back; labellum 

 as long as the petals, white, speckled and tinged with 

 rose; side lobes small; middle lobe ovate-quadrate, 

 crenulate ; callus tongue-shaped, concave. Often the parts 

 of the fl. are more or less spotted and hairy in places. 

 July, Aug. Colombia. Gt. 39: 1321. Var. magnifica, 

 Hort. Sepals long, olive-tinted; petals and lip white. 



7. gigantea, Lindl. Pseudobulbs often 6 in. high, 

 bearing 2-3 oblong-lanceolate Ivs. 1^-2 ft. long: scape 

 1-fld., somewhat shorter than the Ivs.; sepals ovate to 

 lanceolate, 3 in. long, rather olive-green; petals some- 

 what smaller, lanceolate, spreading, of the same color; 

 labellum oblong-lanceolate; side lobes acute; middle 

 lobe ovate, acuminate, serrate, rich maroon bordered 

 with a narrow orange margin; crest fleshy, emarginate. 

 The fl.-sts. are said to attain a height of 2 ft., with a 

 single large fl. In most of the specimens in cult, the lip 

 is abruptly rounded off . June- Aug.; Nov., Dec. Widely 

 dispersed in Cent. Amer. B.M. 5616. B.R. 31:34. 

 C.O. 7. 



8. locusta, Reichb. f. Pseudobulbs pyriform: Ivs. 

 oblong-ligulate, acute: fls. smaller than those of L. 

 Deppei, all green except the white column; the odd 

 sepal oblong, obtuse; the lateral ones linear-oblong, 

 acute; petals bent down inside of the lateral sepal; la- 

 bellum with acute side lobes and a semi-oblong, fleshy, 

 convex middle lobe, all green; on the disk are 2 narrow 

 keels, confluent behind into a fleshy emarginate callus. 

 Peru. B.M. 8020. G.C. III. 49:260. 



9. tetragdna, Lindl. Pseudobulbs ovate, tetragonal: 

 Ivs. solitary, ovate-lanceolate: scape 1-4 fld.; fls. green- 

 ish streaked with crimson; sepals and petals oblong- 

 ovate, rather obtuse, half-spreading, the 2 lower form- 

 ing a blunt, projecting angle at base; labellum smaller, 

 white and purple or green and purple, with a shovel- 

 shaped appendage on the disk. Fls. not beautiful, but 

 very fragrant, remaining fresh for two months. June. 

 Brazil. B.M. 3146 and B.R. 1428 (both as Maxillaria 

 tetragona) . 



10. cruenta, Lindl. Pseudobulbs compressed: Ivs. 

 many, oblong, membranaceous : scape bearing 1 yellow 

 fl. (rarely 2), much larger than those of L. aromatica; 

 sepals ovate, obtuse; petals similar, erect and smaller; 

 labellum half as long as the sepals; lateral lobes rounded; 

 middle lobe rounded-truncate, crisp on the margin, 

 pubescent; crest small, fleshy. Like L. aromatica, but 

 the Ivs. much broader, fls. larger, and the labellum of 

 different shape and somewhat spotted with purple. 



