TROPICAL AMERICAN ORCHIDS 
Lankester’s specimen appear to be slightly smaller than 
typical. [Plate 24: habit life size. 1, lateral sepal X 2 
2, petal X 2 5, dorsal sepal X 2 }4- 4, flower, 'side view 
X about 2. 5, labellum and column X 3.] 
Costa Rica, Peralta, C. H. Lankester 683. 200 feet 
altitude. 
Epidendrum nervosiflorum A. & S. sp. nov. Herba 
mediocris, nervis crassis florum parvorum insignis. Radices 
numerosae. Caules prope basim teretes et ramosi, superne 
ancipites. Folia in parte superiore, rara, elliptico-oblonga vel 
ligulata. Inflorescentiae plerumque paniculatae, ramis brevi- 
bus. Sepala lateralia oblique ovata, complicato-acuta. Sepa- 
lum dorsale lanceolato-ovatum. Petala linearia. Labellum 
simplex, triangulari-lanceolatum, basi bicallosum. Columna 
brevis. 
Plant 12.2-42 cm. or more tall, freely branching below. 
Roots very numerous, filiform, fibrous, flexuous, glabrous, 
sometimes adventitious at the lower nodes. Stems terete 
near the base, strongly ancipitous above, the lower portion 
naked in anthesis, the upper portion nearly or entirely con¬ 
cealed by leaf-sheaths. Leaves elliptic-oblong to ligulate, one 
to four on the upper part of the branches, distichous, usu¬ 
ally 1-2.5 cm. apart, 2.85-6 cm. long, 3.2-13 mm. wide, 
amplexicaul, obtuse, the apex minutely bilobed and apicu- 
late, spreading, membranaceous or somewhat coriaceous 
when dry, the mid-nerve conspicuously carinate beneath. 
Peduncle below the inflorescence 2.7-6.5 cm. long, ancipitous, 
bialate, provided with one to two remote tightly clasping 
tubular conduplicate sheaths. Inflorescence usually panicu¬ 
late, sometimes simply racemose on the young growths, 
1.2-10.7 cm. long; branches short, ascending, 1.5-2.5 cm. 
long, distichous; rachis gently fractiflex. Floral bracts very 
small, infundibuliform, very conspicuously wing-carinate on 
each side. Flowers minute for the genus, rigid. Sepals and 
petals green with stout and conspicuous nerves. Pedicel¬ 
late ovary about 1 cm. long in anthesis, glabrous. Lateral se¬ 
pals obliquely ovate, about 4 mm. long, about 2.1-2.5 mm. 
wide when expanded, strongly complicate-acute, concave, 
