NEW OR NOTEWORTHY ORCHIDS 
The type of this species was collected by F. C. Lehmann 
(No. 4540) along the Chagres River. It is well characterized 
by the apical part of the labellum having translucent cells, 
each cell with a bundle of calcium oxalate crystals in its 
centre. In recent studies of material from Panama I have 
examined specimens of Powell’s 232 (type number of 5. 
Isthmi Schltr.) and 234 (type number of S. praemorsa 
Schltr.), and also flowers preserved in alcohol of Powell’s 284 
sent to me without a name. I have been unable to discover 
structural differences which admit of specific differentiation 
between the plants designated by these numbers and Stelis 
crescentiicola. Slight differences in the structure of the 
labellum occur in flowers from the same plant that are fully 
as weighty, for specific differences, it seems to me, as those 
emphasized by Dr. Schlechter in his characterizations of 
S. Isthmi, S. praemorsa and S. crescentiicola. To utilize such 
differences for the recognition of distinct species seems hardly 
worth while. Powell in his field notes indicates that the 
flowers of 5. Isthmi are purple, those of S. praemorsa yellow- 
green with the basal part purple, but these color distinctions 
do not appear to me to be correlated with structural differ¬ 
ences, and simply indicate individual variation. Powell 285 
is structurally similar to the other specimens examined, but 
lacks the purplish or pinkish tinge which is the normal color 
of the species. The flowers are described as being white. 
The Lehmann specimens in the United States National 
Herbarium indicate that the plants were collected before 
the racemes had attained full development. This gives them 
a somewhat dissimilar aspect to the Powell plants. In the 
flowers examined I found that the labellum had shrivelled 
considerably in drying. As a result of this it exhibits dif¬ 
ferences from fresh material and from well-preserved her¬ 
barium specimens that might be regarded as of sufficient im¬ 
portance for the recognition of a distinct species. The 
structure of the labellum, however, is the same as in the 
Powell specimens. 
Stelis crescentiicola Schltr., S. barbata Rolfe and 5. 
microchila Schltr. are closely related species characterized in 
part by the labellum having a fleshy basal half and a blunt 
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