TROPICAL AMERICAN ORCHIDS 
median protuberance. Disc 3-nerved, provided near the 
apex with a semilunar lamella. Column typical of the 
genus. 
Stelis Alfaroi is remarkable in having very small 
flowers with 5-nerved sepals and peculiar labellum. It dif¬ 
fers from its closest allies S'. Bourgeavii Schltr. and S. 
curvata Schltr. in the form of the labellum. 
Costa Rica, La Fuente, Anastasia Alfaro s. n., Oc¬ 
tober 7, 1924. 1200 metres altitude. Flowers purplish 
green. (Type in Herb. Ames No. 29011.) 
Stelis carnosiflora A, & S. sp. nov. Herba omnino 
crassa. Caulis subteres, unifolius. Folium carnosum, ellip- 
ticum, apice basique rotundatum, superne obliquissime 
bilobatum. Inflorescentia singula, folium multo superans. 
Racemus multiflorus, superne densiflorus. Flores carnosi. 
Sepala reniformi-ovata, quinque- vel sex-nervia, sub medio 
connata. Petala minuta, cuneato-semiorbicularia, superne 
multo incrassata. Labellum et columna generis. 
Plant remarkable for its dense fleshy flowers and large 
floral bracts. Stem stout, monophyllous, subterete, over 14.5 
cm. long, about 4 mm. in diameter (lower portion missing in 
our specimen), with several distant close tubular sheaths. 
Leaf fleshy, elliptic, petioled, erect; petiole about 1.5 cm. 
long, stout, channelled, clasping the peduncle; lamina about 
9.2 cm. long, 4.1 cm. wide, rounded both at base and apex, 
very unequally bilobed above. Inflorescence solitary, more 
than twice as long as the leaf, 21.5 cm. long. Peduncle below 
the inflorescence short, stout, with a basal fleshy condupli- 
cate sheath which is about 1.75 cm. long, and above this 
one smaller infundibuliform sheath. Rachis about 17 cm. 
long, the greater portion very densely many-flowered (very 
loosely flowered near the base). Floral bracts conspicuous, 
surpassing the pedicellate ovary, distichous, ovate-triangu¬ 
lar, amplexicaul, the lowest one 9 mm. long. Flowers secund. 
Sepals very fleshy, connate below the middle, entirely gla¬ 
brous, nearly regular, 5-6-nerved, thicker near the anterior 
margins. Lateral sepals reniform-ovate, about 3.5 mm. 
long, 4-4.2 mm. wide, subobtuse, 6-nerved. Dorsal sepal 
15 
