94 OECHIDACEAE. 



2-3 cm. long, similar to the petals; lip purple or variegated, about 2 cm. long, 

 abruptly acute, entire; capsule 2-3 cm. long. 



On trees in coppices, Abaco. Andros and New Providence : — Florida ; Cuba ; 

 Hispaniola ; Porto Rico ; Jamaica ; Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela. Recorded 

 from St. Croix. Catesby, 2 : pi. 88. Shell Orchid. 



16. NIDEMA Britton & Millspaugh, gen. nov. 



Epiphytic orchids, with flattened 1-leaved pseudobulbs subtended by narrow 

 scales, the leaves narrowly linear, the slender scapes bearing several, rather 

 small, racemose flowers, or but one. Lateral sepals lanceolate or linear-lanceo- 

 late, 3-5-nerved, acute or acuminate ; petals linear to lanceolate, somewhat 

 shorter than the sepals; lip linear or ligulate, somewhat fleshy, entire or undu- 

 late; column free from the lip or but slightly adnate at the base, footless. 

 Capsule oblong. [Anagram of Dinema, a related genus.] Two species or 

 more, natives of the West Indies, the following typical. 



1. Nidema Ottonis (Rchb. f.) Britton & Millspaugh. 



Epidendrum Ottojiis Rchb. f.; Gri?eb. Fl. Br. W. I. 613. 1864. 



Pseudobulbs narrowly oblong, clustered, compressed, 2-3.5 cm. long, 1- 

 leaved. Leaf thin in texture, linear, 6-13 cm. long, 5-8 mm. wide, obtuse or 

 acutish; scape very slender, little, if any, longer than the leaf, bearing several 

 linear scales and 3-6 bracted whitish flowers; ovary shorter than the linear 

 bract; sepals lanceolate, acuminate, about 8 mm. long; petals linear, acute, 

 about 6 mm. long; lip linear, acute, undivided, about 5 mm. long; column free, 

 claviform, 4 mm. long, 5-toothed; capsule oblong, about 1 cm. long. 



On tree, Blue Hills, New Providence, collected by Eggers (according to Cog- 

 niaux). not found by us in the Bahamas: — Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Porto 

 Rico ; Trinidad ; Venezuela. 



17. TETRAMICRA Lindl. Gen. & Sp. Orch. 119. 1831. 



Mostly terrestrial orchids, without pseudobulbs, the roots thick fibers, the 

 few subterete fleshy leaves basal, the pink to purple flowers in a simple raceme 

 at the end of a slender sheathed scape. Bracts very small. Sepals about 

 equal, distinct, spreading. Petals similar to the sepals. Lip 3-lobed, spread- 

 ing, the lobes entire or nearly so. Column 2-winged. Anther convex, imper- 

 fectly 4-celled; pollinia 4, waxy, appendaged. Capsule oblong, beakless. 

 [Greek, small four.] About 8 species, of tropical America. Type species: 

 Cyrtibidium rigidum Willd. 



1. Tetramicra Urbaniana Cogn. in Urban, Symb. Ant. 6: 551. 1910. 



Roots few, thick, canescent. Leaves 2, lanceolate or oblong-ovate, 3 cm. 

 long or less, acute or acuminate, fleshy; scape very slender, 2-4.5 dm. high, 

 its small membranous sheaths appressed; raceme 2-5-flowered, the flowers dis- 

 tant; bracts ovate, membranous, acute, 1-3 mm. long; pedicels 2-3 mm. long; 

 ovary slender, 5-7 mm. long; sepals ovate or oblong, 5-nerved, about 4 mm. 

 long ; petals linear, about as long as the sepals ; lip 4-6 mm. long, deeply 3- 

 lobed, the lobes rounded; column narrowly 2-winged, 3 mm. long. 



On the ground, New Providence near Nassau : — Endemic. Bahama Tetramicra. 



