34 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 
VI.— DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW OR LITTLE KNOWN 
PHANEROGAMS, CHIEFLY FROM OAXACA. 
Discorea composita, Hemsl. Mr. E. W. Nelson has rediscovered 
this species at Santa Efigenia, Oaxaca, altitude 500 feet, 18 July, 1899, 
no. 2828, and also between Topana, Oaxaca, and Tonala, Chiapas, alti- 
tude 200 to 500 feet, 1 to 38 August, 1895, no. 2855. The specimens 
from Santa Efigenia represent the hitherto unknown staminate plant 
from which the following supplementary characters are derived: foliage 
and inflorescence of the ¢ plant as in 9: segments of perianth 6, oblong; 
obtuse; the inner slightly larger: stamens 6, all perfect, free from each 
other and borne upon the base of the perianth-segments, the three opposite 
the outer segments a little shorter than the others: filaments not notice- 
ably rigid nor flattened, considerably exceeding the very short anthers: 
the interior of the flower containing a conical rudimentary ovary. 
abenaria subauriculata. Glabrous, 5 to 10 inches high: 
tuberiform root single, ovoid, an inch long: stem flexuons, leafy : leaves 
ovate, acutish or acute, 3-ribbed, sheathing by the slightly narrowed 
base, 1 to 1} inches long, a third or half as broad: spike 2 to 6 inches 
long, several — many-flowered : bracts ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, about 
equalling the ovary: flowers green: upper sepals 3-nerved, about 3 lines 
long, obtusish, the upper broadly ovate, galeate, obtusish, 3-nerved, 3 
lines long; the lateral ones narrowly ovate, obtusish, slightly exceeding 
the upper one: lateral petals linear-oblong, obtusish, slightly falcate, 
subauriculate on the lower side at the base, otherwise entire, 2 to 2h 
lines long; labellum deeply 3-parted, the divisions linear, the lateral 
divaricately spreading and slightly curved upwards, 2} to 3 lines long, 
about equalling the middle lobe: spur slender, scarcely clavate, gree 
about 4 lines long. — Collected by C. G. Pringle, on grassy slopes, 
Sedas, Oaxaca, altitude 6,000 feet, August, 1894, no. 4830. Habit of 
H. flexuosa, Lindl., and H. elypeata, Lindl., but with lateral petals 
undivided. 
‘Spiranthes Oaxacana. Glabrous (except flowers): root 4 fas- 
cicle of numerous thickened tuberiform fibres: stem erect, a foot to 
foot and a half high bearing 1 or 2 foliar leaves at the base and loosely 
sheathed for the rest of its length by membranaceous striate-veiny ovate- 
acuminate bracts: leaves oblong, 3 inches or more in length, three 
fourths inch in breadth, sheathing at the narrowed base, scarcely pel 
sisting until the perfecting of the flowers: flowers in a dense his 
subcapitate spike, slightly exceeding the conspicuous ovate-acuminate 
