CENTRAL AMERICAN ORCHIDS 
Epidendrum gravidum Lindt in Journ. Hort. Soc. 
4 (1849) 114. 
Encyclia gravida Schltr. in Beihefte Bot. Centralbl. 36, 
Abt. 2 (1918) 472. 
Lindley’s specimen only consists of an inflorescence 
which is about 18 cm. long. It appears to have been 
7-flowered in a loose raceme. The perianth appears 
never to have opened. Sepals about 12 mm. long, the 
laterals about 3 mm. wide, heavily carinate at the tip. 
Petals 1 cm. long, about 3 mm. wide, narrowly elliptic- 
oblong, subacute from a broad base. Labellum about 1 cm. 
long, 3-lobed; lateral lobes 6 mm. long, 3 mm. wide at base, 
narrowed gradually to an obtuse tip; middle lobe including 
the subquadrate isthmus 7 mm. long, about 4.5 mm. wide 
across the middle, ovate-lanceolate, heavily nerved on the 
upper surface (the nerves prominent in dried material). 
Disc heavily 5-nerved, the alternate nerves prominent on the 
isthmus and coalescent — at the base of the middle lobe — 
with the mid-nerve which extends to the tip of the lip. 
Column 6 mm. long, constricted at the middle, obscurely 
3-lobed at the summit, the lobes rounded; in front below the 
summit there is a short obtuse indexed membranous wing 
or auricle on each side. The capsules are fusiform, bluntly 
muriculate and with the pedicel about 4 cm. long. 
This species was described from Mexican material, but 
so inadequately characterized that it has remained in doubt. 
In my herbarium there is a specimen collected by Purpus 
(No. 62) in Mexico that Schlechter communicated to me 
under the name Epidendrum gravidum. It differs in several 
details from Lindley’s type preserved in Kew, but is un¬ 
doubtedly conspecific with it. 
The foregoing description has been prepared from 
Lindley’s type, a flower from the unique specimen having 
been submitted for study by Captain Arthur W. Hill, 
Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew. The type was col¬ 
lected by Hartweg in February 1837. It was said to have 
been collected at Xapatam, Mexico. It is quite possible that 
Xapatam is an erroneous spelling of Zacualpan. 
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