ORCHIDACEAE QUAEDAM AMERICANAE 
obsoletus. Racemus gracilis, plus minusve quindecim 
florus. Bracteae inflorescentiae infundibuliformes. Flores 
mediocres. Sepala subaequalia, late ovata, acuta. Petala 
infra medium cuneato-flabellata, apice triangularia, valde 
incrassata. Labellum valde carnosum, antice rotundatum, 
disco excavato. Columna dilatata, apice trilobulata. 
Plants caespitose from fibrous whitish roots. Secondary 
stems 4-5 cm. long, concealed by three scarious sheaths, 
the lowermost one abbreviated, the uppermost one elon¬ 
gated, up to 3.5 cm. long, dilated upward. Leaf solitary 
at the summit of each secondary stem, 7-11.5 cm. long, 
1.3-2.5 cm. wide, narrowly oblong-elliptic, very obtuse 
or acute, attenuated toward the base, epetiolate, the slender 
base conduplicate. Peduncle with the raceme 11-15 cm. 
long, usually exceeding the leaf, solitary, emerging from a 
scarious concave loosely oppressed sheath which is about 
1 cm. long. Raceme about 8 cm. long, slender, with fifteen 
flowers or more opening in succession, the lowermost ones 
falling away before the terminal ones expand. Bracts of 
the inflorescence infundibuliform, acute, about 3 mm. long. 
Ovary 2 mm. long. Sepals coherent, broadly ovate, acute; 
laterals 2 mm. long, nearly 4 mm. wide, 3-nerved with a 
supplementary nerve, nerves free, fleshy. Dorsal sepal 3 mm. 
long, 4 mm. wide, 3-nerved with a supplementary nerve, 
nerves free, similar to the lateral sepals in texture. Petals 
1 mm. long, about 1 mm. wide, lower half cuneate-flabellate, 
upper half triangular-thickened, very fleshy. Labellum 
1 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, very fleshy, .75 mm. thick, rounded 
at the tip. Disc obliquely excavated, appearing shallowly 
concave, lateral margins erect, lobulate in aspect, thickened, 
rounded. Column dilated upward, trilobulate at the summit. 
This species is much taller than Stelis scabrida Lindl. 
and has larger flowers. From Stelis Dussii Cogn., it is 
distinguished by its epetiolate longer leaves and in having 
fewer nerves in the sepals. 
Trinidad, B. W. L, Heights of Aripo, W. E. Broadway 
9886, January 10-26, 1922. On small trees. (Type in 
Herb. Ames No. 22671.) 
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