TROPICAL AMERICAN ORCHIDS 
oblong, about 1.85 mm. long, 1 mm. wide; anterior lobes 
oblong-lanceolate, 1.3 mm. long, about 1 mm. wide near the 
base. Labellum 3-lobed; lateral lobes porrect, relatively 
large, dolabriform, with a conspicuous keel parallel with the 
apex which is about 1.9 mm. wide; middle lobe minute. Col¬ 
umn slightly shorter than the lateral lobes of the lip, abruptly 
mucronate at the summit. 
Lepanthes ovata differs from the closely allied L. Ekmanii 
Schltr. in having 2-3-nerved sepals, dissimilar petals, and a 
sessile labellum. [Plate 23: habit life size. 1, flower, spread 
out X about 4. 2, labellum with column turned back X 7. 
3, petal X 4 ^.] 
Cuba, Sur de Oriente y Pico Turquino, Sierra Maestra, 
Hno. Leon 10709, July 1922. 1000-2000 metres altitude. 
(Type in Herb. N. Y. Bot. Card.) 
Lepanthes subdimidiata A. & S. sp. nov. Herba 
parva. Caules graciles, monophylli, multiarticulati, va- 
ginis omnino arete inclusi. Folium ovatum, basi rotundatum, 
apice tridentatum. Inflorescentiae quam folia plerumque 
breviores. Racemi dense distichiflori. Flores perparvi. Se- 
pala ovata vel lanceolato-ovata, lateralia pro parte connata. 
Petala subdimidiata, lanceolata. Labellum trilobatum; lobi 
laterales dolabriformes; lobus medius minutus. 
Plant small, 7.5-8.3 cm. tall including the erect leaf. 
Roots filiform, fibrous, flexuous, minutely pubescent or 
papillose. Stems very slender, 4-5 cm. long, 8-10-jointed, 
concealed by tightly clasping sheaths. Sheaths sulcate by 
reason of elevated veins, minutely pubescent on the angles, 
terminating in an ovate flaring margined lamina which is 
minutely ciliate on the edge. Leaf ovate, shortly and 
abruptly petioled; petiole about 2 mm. long; lamina, 2.4-2.9 
cm. long, 1.6 cm. more or less wide, rather abruptly narrowed 
above to a tridentate apex, many-nerved with three more 
prominent veins, membranaceous, apparently purplish- 
tinted on the under surface. Inflorescences one to three in the 
axil of the terminal leaf, usually much shorter than the leaf 
(rarely equaling the leaf). Peduncles below the inflorescence 
filiform, about 1 cm. long, with one inconspicuous tubular 
38 
