TROPICAL AMERICAN ORCHIDS 
vaginantes conLracta, patentia, anguste lanceolalo-elliptica, 
oblique ascendentia, acuminata, acutissima. Inllorescentiae 
laterales vel terminales, paucillorae. Bracteae inflores- 
centiae ovatae, acutae, nervosae. Pedicellus cum ovario 
t. gracilis, elongaius. Sepala lateralia sp'athulata, subacuta, 
extus nervo medio prominenti. Sepalum dorsale spathula- 
tum, obtusum, anguste unguiculatum. Petala oblongo- 
spathulata, obtusa, margine aliquando obscure crenulata, 
leviter curvata. Labellum basi cum columna per medium 
cohaerens, abrupLe dilatatum, late llabelliforme, anlice tri- 
lobatum; lobis lateralibus obtusis, rotundatis; lobo medio 
profunde bilobulato. Discus praecipue prope apicem et 
basim labelli copiose pilosus, multinervius, supra medium 
quinquelamellatus. Columna gracilis, inlus prope basim 
pilosa. Clinandrium valde cucullatum. Anthera postice 
valde carnosa et antice breviter rostrata. Stigma ut in 
Arethusa profunde excavatum. Capsula longe cylindracea, 
columna persistent! coronata. 
i Terrestrial herb. Stems leafy, about 30 cm. tall, 2-3 
mm. in diameter near the base, arising from a mass of coarse 
, fibrous spreading roots. Leaves alternate, 10-32 cm. long, 
up to 5 cm. wide, plicate, prominently many^-nerved, nar¬ 
rowly lanceolate-elliptic, chartaceous when dry, long acu¬ 
minate, acute, contracted at base into slender petioles 
which sheath the slender stem. Inflorescences lateral and 
terminal, racemose, 3.5-5 cm. long, sometimes branched, 
rachis smooth. Bracts of the raceme 5-6 mm. long, ovate, 
acute, prominently nerved. Flowers about eight, opening 
in succession, of brief duration, creamy white. Lateral se¬ 
pals hardly 1.5 cm. long, 3 mm. wide above the middle, 
asymmetrically spatulate, subacute or obtuse, membrana¬ 
ceous, middle nerve prominent on the outer surface. Dorsal 
f sepal 1.5 cm. long, 3 mm. wide, spatulate, obtuse, subtrun¬ 
cate at the apex. Petals 1.5 cm. long, about 3 mm. wide 
near the rounded tip, spatulate, somewhat curved, margin 
sometimes obscurely crenulate above the middle. Labellum 
embracing the column, 1.7 cm. long, 1.5-1.6 cm. wide at the 
middle when spread out, abruptly dilated above the base, 
rotundate-llabelliform, 3-lobed in front, with the lateral lobes 
33 
