NEW OR NOTEWORTHY ORCHIDS 
yellow in color, with a delightful fragrance. Under cultiva¬ 
tion it is said that the plants will yield two crops a year, six 
months being required from flower to “bean.” Pollination 
is artificial. 
Vanilla pompona differs most conspicuously from V. 
fragrans (Salisb.) Ames in its larger flowers and in the ante¬ 
rior portion of the labellum being devoid of verruciform emer¬ 
gences. The capsules are much stouter and shorter than 
those of V. fragrans, and somewhat trigonous in shape. It is 
a widely distributed species and has been reported from 
Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, 
British Guiana, Dutch Guiana, Trinidad, and is now thought 
to be a native of Honduras, fruiting specimens having been 
obtained near Tela by Ames. 
Vanilla pompona differs from V. odorata Presl in its 
broader leaves, larger flowers, and shorter, trigonous fruits. 
Unfortunately our knowledge of the genus Vanilla is 
still very imperfect. The flowers are ephemeral and very 
difficult to press, so that the specimens brought in by collec¬ 
tors are usually sterile or so poorly preserved that the floral 
characters are difficult to interpret. Throughout the litera¬ 
ture devoted to the genus, this situation has been empha¬ 
sized. With the increasing interest now being taken in the 
vegetation of the American tropics, it is hoped that efforts 
will be made to preserve flowers of Vanilla in alcohol, so that 
the difficulties of identification of old species and the proper 
characterization of new ones will be simplified. 
Ecuador, Oriente del Norte, in the district near Tena, 
Oscar C. Felton, October 14, 1923. “Palanda Vanilla.” 
Spiranthes costaricensis Reichb.f. in Bonpl. 3 (1855) 
214; Reichb. f. Beitr. Orch. Centr. Am. (1866) 46; Reichb. f. 
Xen. Orch. 2 (1873) 185, t. 179, figs. I, l-3b. 
Beloglottis costaricensis Schltr. Beihefte Bot. Centralbl. 
37, Abt. 2 (1920) 365; Schltr. in Fedde Repert. Beihefte 19 
(1923) 167. 
This species, which was first collected by Oersted near 
Naranjo, in Costa Rica is represented in Reichenbach’s 
7 
