Orchids from Ponape — Hawkes 
9 
Diplocaulobium flavicolle (Schltr.) A. D. 
Hawkes, comb. nov. 
Dendrohium flavicolle Schltr. Engl. Bot. 
Jahrb. 56: 466, 1920. 
Endemic on Ponape, having been dis- 
covered by Ledermann near Patapat ( = Poto- 
pot) in 1913. 
GEISSANTHERA Schlechter 
In K. Schumann & Lauterbach, Nachtr. FI. 
Deutsch Sudsee 231, 1905. 
The orchidaceous genus Geissanthera was 
established by Rudolph Schlechter in 1905 
{op. ciL), the type species, G. papuana, having 
been collected in British New Guinea. In his 
revision of the Orchidaceae of New Guinea 
(1914) he reduced this genus to subgeneric 
status in Microtatorchis Schltr., making the 
type M. papuana (Schltr.) Schltr. Louis O. 
Williams reviewed certain species of the 
closely allied aggregation Taeniophyllum Bl. 
some years later (1939: 147) and came to the 
conclusion that Geissanthera should be placed 
in that polymorphic alliance, again as a sub- 
genus. It is the opinion of the present writer 
that Geissanthera Schltr. constitutes a distinct 
generic entity, as was originally established 
by Schlechter. 
P. A. Adams 4 is referable to Microtatorchis 
Hosokawae Fukuyama. The species was as- 
signed by Fukuyama in his original diagnosis 
(1937: 903) to the section Geissanthera 
(Schltr.) Schltr. Inspection of this Ponapean 
endemic seems to indicate, however, that it 
is too aberrant in several diagnostic characters 
to warrant its retention in Microtatorchis 
Schltr.; it does, furthermore, agree in struc- 
ture with Geissanthera Schltr., as it was initial- 
ly described. 
Microtatorchis Schltr. is a rather polymor- 
phic group of predominantly epiphytic mono- 
podial sarcanthad orchids with either leafy or 
aphyllous stems, very shortened inflores- 
cences, and paired pollinia. Geissanthera 
Schltr. is distinguished with facility by the 
presence of large or small bracteoles on the 
inflorescence (virtually a unique character in 
the Orchidaceae), the proportionately large 
blossoms, and the bibrachiate clinandrium of 
the column. Taeniophyllum BL, with which 
both of these entities have been confused, is 
now considered to include those totally 
aphyllous plants with four distinct pollinia 
and elongate, mostly Aliform inflorescences, 
which are not bracteolate. The following di- 
chotomous key will assist in the differentia- 
tion of the three genera involved: 
1. Pollinia 4; plants totally aphyllous; in- 
florescences (at least the peduncles) 
proportionately elongate. . 
Taeniophyllum Bl. 
Pollinia 2 ; plants aphyllous or more or 
less leafy; inflorescences elongate or 
short 2 
2. Inflorescences furnished with more or 
less prominent foliose bracteoles;. 
clinandrium bibrachiate 
Geissanthera Schltr. 
Inflorescences bracteate, not furnished 
with bracteoles; clinandrium mono- 
brachiate Microtatorchis Schltr. 
The Ponapean species must be transferred 
to Geissanthera. 
Geissanthera Hosokawae (Fukuyama) A. D. 
Hawkes, comb. nov. 
Microtatorchis Hosokawae Fukuyama, Bot. 
Mag. [Tokyo] 51: 903, figs. 4, 5, 1937. 
Taeniophyllum Hosokawae L. O. Wms., 
Harvard Univ., Bot. Mus. Leaflet 7 : 147, 1939- 
Mt. Tolotom, 2,100 ft. alt.: on mossy trees, 
associated with #1 {Dendrohium violaceo- 
miniatum Schltr.) and #5 {Dendrohium nana- 
rauticolum Fukuyama). August, 1950, P. A. 
Adams 4. 
The original specimen was collected by 
T. Hosokawa on Mt. Nanaraut ( = Nanalaut), 
at about 500 meters altitude. The species is 
apparently restricted to Ponape in its distri- 
bution. 
Geissanthera Schltr. reaches its greatest de- 
