TROPICAL AMERICAN ORCHIDS 
cordalum, valde acuminatum; discus callo crasso V-formi 
excavate ornatus. Columna generis. 
Plant small, but with very large flowers for the genus, 
about 18 cm. tall. Roots stout, fibrous, tomentose. Leaf 
(in our specimen) solitary, basal; petiole about 1.5 cm. long; 
blade cordate, 3 cm. long through the middle, about 2.2 cm. 
wide, oblique, abruptly acute, membranaceous when dry. 
Scape suberect, nodding above, provided with six tubular 
membranaceous sheaths, glabrous below, upper portion 
pubescent. Raceme rather congested, about 6-flowered. 
Rachis and ovaries glandular-pubescent. Floral bracts 
broadly ovate, acuminate, concave below, scarious. Sepals 
very sparsely long-hairy on the outer surface. Lateral sepals 
very obliquely lanceolate, 6.3-7 mm. long, about 2.3 mm. 
wide, acuminate, 3-nerved. Dorsal sepal narrowly lance¬ 
olate, about 8.1 mm. long, 2 mm. wide near the base, acumi¬ 
nate with a complicate apex, 3-nerved. Petals adherent to 
the dorsal sepal and slightly shorter, elliptic-linear, oblique, 
acute or acuminate, 2-nerved. Labellum cordate, about 5.6 
mm. long in the middle, nearly as broad at the base when 
expanded, sharply acuminate, margins complicate at the 
apex, concave in the middle by reason of a large excavated 
V-shaped fleshy callus which is densely cellular-pubescent 
and terminates near the apex of the labellum. Column 
short and inconspicuous. 
Cranichis grandiflora is extraordinary on account of its 
very large flowers. It is vegetatively similar to C. diphylla 
Sw. and to C. pilosa Fawc. & Rendle. [Fig. 2: habit life size. 
1, labellum with column and anther X 5. 2, flower, front 
view X 3 3^.] 
Cuba, Sur de Oriente y Pico Turquino, Sierra Maestra, 
Hno. Leon 10761, July 1922. (Type in Herb. N. Y. Rot. 
Card.) 
Ponthieva unguiculata A. & S. sp. nov. Herba 
gracilis. Folia basalia, rosulata, petiolata, aliquando folium 
singulum in caulis parte inferiore; lamina ovato-elliptica, 
acuta. Scapus pubescens. Racemus laxe pluriflorus. Flores 
parvi, in sicco membranacei. Sepala oblongo-ovata vel 
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