APRIL, 1923.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. Ic7 
ORCHIDS OF PANAMA. 
NE of the finest additions to our knowledge of Orchid species has 
been made by Mr. C. W. Powell, of Balboa, Canal Zone, Panama. 
For some years past he has collected Orchids in that locality and cultivated 
them in his garden, which is carried on entirely as a scientific proposition, 
no idea of commerce being entertained. In the year rg1g, one of Dr. 
Schlechter’s correspondents in Costa Rica called his attention to the 
considerable collection of Orchids that had been made by Mr. Powell, and 
advised him to get into communication with him. Mr. Powell replied that 
arrangements had already been made with Mr. R. A. Rolfe of Kew, but he 
would be pleased to provide duplicates of the various items, so far as was 
possible. Unfortunately, Mr. Rolfe was absent from Kew on account of 
ill-health, and his death in April, 1921, prevented any special attention being 
given to the many novelties that awaited description. 
Mr. Powell then requested Dr. Schlechter to take over the elaboration 
of his discoveries. This work afforded him great pleasure, for the reason 
that among the Orchids of Panama not only were many novelties to be 
expected, but also many of Warscewicz’s findings were awaiting re-discovery 
and enlightenment. The first consignment of dried flowers was splendidly 
arranged and gave much satisfaction, but unfortunately, the vegetative parts 
of the plants were entirely missing, due, says Mr. Powell, to the fact that 
Rolfe had stated that dried flowers would be sufficient. However, Mr. 
Powell willingly supplied the required material, and most of the specimens 
ate now quite complete. The consignments arrived regularly week after 
week, their neat arrangement and completness being noteworthy features. 
The greater part of the previously known Orchids of Panama has been 
te-discovered by Mr. Powell, and there are, in addition, a considerable 
number of new species, which have not previously been known as from 
Panama, though perhaps from the neighbouring territory. Of equal 
interest to the new species is the re-discovery of a whole series of species 
which had originally been discovered by Von Warscewicz, but have never 
since been found. Consequently Mr. Powell’s collections are of extreme 
importance. 
During recent years an overwhelming mass of Orchid material has 
accumulated with Dr. Schlechter, particularly from Costa Rica, and as the 
beginning of his ‘Contributions to the study of the Orchids of Central 
America” a full account of Mr. Powell’s discoveries that have been 
determined up to November, 1922, has just been published under the title 
Orchidacee Powelliane Panamenses. Dr. Schlechter hopes in his second 
contribution to be able to handle several of these Costa Rican collections, 
which are not only rich in novelties, but in plants of geographical interest, 
