NEW OR NOTEWORTHY ORCHIDS 
In the Orchid Review (20 :280), among notes on an 
exhibition of orchids held by the Royal Horticultural 
Society, the first reference to a new species of Epidendrum 
named E. laterale occurs. This reference is hardly a descrip¬ 
tion. It is as follows; “J. J. Neale, Esq., Lynwood, Penarth 
(gr. Mr. H. Hadden), sent Epidendrum laterale, a curious 
little plant bearing two spikes of green flowers from rudi¬ 
mentary growths, as in E. Stamfordianum.” On page 319 
of the same volume the following additional reference oc¬ 
curs: “August 27th: Epidendrum lateralp:. — Mr. O’Brien 
showed for Mr. Neale, Penarth, a plant of Epidendrum 
laterale (Central America), and remarked that the inflo¬ 
rescence is produced on a rudimentary pseudobulb, as in 
E. StamJordianum (probably the only similar case), a 
peculiarity that seems to show that the normal mode of 
flowering is from the base of the mature pseudobulb. A 
Botanical Certificate was awarded to the plant on the 
proposition of Mr. O’Brien.” The first characterization 
of the species that approaches a botanical description was 
published in the Orchid Review for 1920 (28:160). Here 
the species is treated in a very rambling style under the 
heading Epidendrum laterale Rolfe and we are informed 
that it is a native of Costa Rica. 
In 1918 Dr. Schlechter published Epidendrum Rous- 
seauae, basing his description on material obtained in 
Panama by Mrs. Rousseau. He only had two inflorescences 
and a single leaf. He surmised erroneously that the habit 
of the plant must resemble that of E. ramosum Jacq. Later 
he studied plants collected in Panama by C. W. Powell 
which he identified as E. Rousseauae. Excellent material 
of Powell’s specimens are in my herbarium and from them 
it would seem that E. Rousseauae is the same species as that 
which Rolfe described as E. laterale. The only differences 
between Rolfe’s material and Powell’s are of such minor 
importance that it would be straining a point to regard 
them as sufficient for the recognition of two species. As 
E. laterale was not properly characterized prior to 1918, it 
would seem that E. Rousseauae is the name by which 
this curious species should be known. 
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