10 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. VI, January, 1952 
velopment in the montane regions of New 
Guinea, where about 14 species are known. 
Outlying representatives occur, in addition to 
the Caroline Island plant noted above, in 
Samoa and in the Philippines. All of the re- 
maining species, except the typical Geissan- 
thera papuana Schltr., have been described 
under Microtatorchis Schltr., and will need 
eventual transferral to the present group. 
MOERENHOUTIA Blume 
Orch. Archip. Ind. 99, tt. 28, 42, 1858. 
The physurid genus Moerenhoutia Bl. is 
represented in the Carolines by four species, 
the present one being highly variable and with 
several apparently distinct varietal forms de- 
scribed. 
Moerenhoutia leucantha Schltr., Engl. 
Bot. Jahrb. 56: 450, 1920. 
Mt. Tolenkiup, 1,200 ft. alt.: in dense 
shade in very wet leaf mold of forest floor. 
Flowers white, terrestrial. August, 1950, P. A. 
Adams 6. Living material of this collection is 
in cultivation in our Botanical Garden. 
The species is endemic on Ponape, and is 
closest in alliance with the New Guinean 
Moerenhoutia constricta jj- Sm. and M. lamel- 
lata Schltr. 
OBERONIA Lindley 
Gen. & Sp. Orch., PL 15, 1830, 
An exceedingly technical and difficult 
genus of paleotropical epiphytes, with two 
species present in the Adams collections. 
Oberonia Hosokawae Fukuyama, Nat. 
Hist. Soc. Formosa, Trans. 31: 290, 1941. 
Mt. Sankaku, 1,100 ft. alt.: with ^26 
(Phreatia ladronicaTuysima.), epiphytic, bloom 
not seen. August, 1950, P. A. Adams 27. 
A member of the section Scytoxiphium, and 
one of the less attractive members of the 
genus, probably bearing pellucid-white or 
pale green flowers about 3 mm, in diameter. 
Oberonia ponapensis Tuyama, Bot. Mag. 
[Tokyo] 54: 275, 1940. 
Mt. Tolotom, 2,100 ft. alt.: epiphytic, in- 
florescence rusty red. August, 1950, P. A. 
Adams 1 7. 
An interesting dwarf member of section 
Otoglossum, apparently endemic on Ponape. 
The very numerous flowers measure 1 mm, 
or less in diameter, and when dry are an at- 
tractive orange hue. 
PHAIUS Loureiro 
FI. Cochinch. 529, 1790. 
A single species of this genus is known to 
date from the Carolines. The original material 
of the present species in the area was gathered 
by Ledermann on Ponape, near Patapat 
( = Potopot) and Paue ( = Poaipoai). 
Phaius amboinensis BL, Mus. Bot. Lugd.- 
Bat. 2: 180, 1856. 
Mt. Tolotom, 1,900 ft, alt.: terrestrial, in 
wet loam with much leaf mold, in deep shade. 
Abundant from about 1,500 ft. alt. up to 
summit. Flower pure white with creamy 
yellow tube. August, 1950, P. A. Adams 11. 
A handsome species, of considerable horti- 
cultural value. 
PHREATIA Lindley 
Gen. & Sp. Orch. PI. 63, 1830. 
With the interesting plant described here as 
new, the total number of Phreatias known to 
occur in the Caroline Islands reaches 10. The 
others are Phreatia palawensis (Schltr.) Tu- 
yama, P. pseudo-Thompsonii Fnydim^, P. kusai- 
ensis Tuyama, P. pacifica Fukuyama, P. Kane- 
hirae Fukuyama, P. Thompsonii Ames, P. 
carolinensis Schltr., P. ladronica Tuyama, and 
P. ponapensis Schltr. The genus is a large and 
exceedingly complex one, and stands sorely 
in need of critical revision. 
