I 



— 52 — 



The inflorescence originates nearly simultaneously with the leaves 

 from a young side-tuber of the primary tuber, the foliate stem from a sidebud 

 of the primary-tuber. 



The scales of the peduncle are long 50 mm., rounded mucronate, 

 the internal one (4tli) is sheath-shaped, 250 mm. long with a convolute 

 or rarely small, flattened blade. In another specimen the stem was surrounded 

 by 10 sheaths. 



The peduncle was 150 — 160 mm. long. 



The spike, almost as long as the peduncle, had a violet-red (531 — 551) 

 coma which protruded rather far beyond the spike, the coma bracts (9), 

 however, were white from the base to the middle, the intermedial bracts 

 were light-green, white with violet stripes, the middle-bracts (forming 2 

 or 3 cycli) were light-green. All are somewhat velvety to the touch. 



The bracts (32 in an examined spike) are sometimes all flowering, 

 but the outmost is then somewhat larger than the following, sometimes, 

 however, this is sterile and placed some cm. below the spike and adnate 

 only at the base. Of the middle-bracts (20) the free portions are somewhat 

 longer or almost as long as and broader than the pouches, the 2 — 3 outer 

 ones broadly ovate, the others nearly orbicular with an almost rounded 

 top, they form wide and high gutters which are but little concave and 

 they are much spreading. The average length was rather more than 40, 

 including the pouch which was half as long or less, the breadth was 25. 

 The pouches are narrow. In the intermedial bracts, long 50, the free 

 portions were 30 — 32X30 — 32. Of the leaves of the coma the outer ones 

 were broadly elliptical (long 55) the free portion 40 — 45 X 32, the inner 

 ones, as commonly smaller and narrower, 45X16- ^nd 42X^4 all with 

 rounded top withot a trace of a mucro. 



The flowers protrude a little above the bracts so that the deflexed 

 middle-lobe of the lip is distinctly visible. The primary bracteole is large, 

 longer than the tube 25 — 28X12—14, and quite hairy on the outerside. 

 The flower is 44 mm. long. The calyx is about half as long as the 

 crown-tube and has a small split and 3 very short nearly equal, rounded 

 teeth. The lip is obovate with a much protruded recurved mid-lobe, which 

 is separated from the erected side-lobes not only by a fold but also by 

 a slight emargination. The flattened lip was long 16X^4, narrowed to 

 a short claw broad 9. The staminodes are nearly elliptical, converging 

 behind the stamen, narrowed at the base, the outer edge convex (14) inner 

 edge 10 (shorter by the connating with the stamen). The filament is small, 

 about 3X3, the anther proportionally long and narrow, affixed near the 

 base; the oblong connective projects somewhat between the loculi as a 

 short lingula. The spurs are narrow and parallel, slightly curved. Loculi long 

 4 — 5, spur 2—8. From another flower was noted: Length 48, calyx 8, side-petals 



