NEW OR NOTEWORTHY ORCHIDS 
narrowed at base; petiole short, up to 4 cm. long, channeled, 
dilated to a sheathing base. Stem about 9 cm. tall, mostly 
concealed by loose tubular scarious sheaths, closely glandu¬ 
lar-pubescent. Raceme short, stout, 7.7 cm. long, about 
5.4 cm. in diameter. Floral bracts lanceolate, up to 2.65 
cm. long, acuminate. Flowers 12 in number, green and 
yellow. Lateral sepals subspatulate-linear, lower part long 
connate with the ovary; free portion about 1.8 cm. long, 
3.2 mm. wide near the apex, acute, 3-nerved, densely gland¬ 
ular-pubescent on the outer surface, arcuate recurved in the 
dried specimen. Dorsal sepal oblanceolate-oblong, 1.88 cm. 
long, 5 mm. wide near the apex, subacute, concave, 5-nerved, 
densely glandular-pubescent on the back. Petals similar to 
the lateral sepals, adherent to and little shorter than the 
dorsal sepal, spatulate-linear, 1.85 cm. long, 2.9 mm. wide 
near the apex, obtuse, oblique, anterior margins glandular- 
ciliate, 2-nerved. Labellum pandurate-linear, about 2.7 cm. 
long when extended, slightly dilated at base with a pair of 
fleshy retrorse auricles, middle portion an elongate linear 
isthmus, anterior third gradually dilated and about 6.1 
mm. wide, then sharply contracted and again broadened to 
a small reflexed transversely ovate or reniform lobe. Disc 
finely pubescent on the outer surface except near the mar¬ 
gins and the terminal lobe, long pubescent on the inner sur¬ 
face near the base. Spur very prominent, slender conic, 
4.5 mm. long, obtuse. Column long and slender, 1.55 cm. 
long, densely pubescent on the anterior face; rostellum 
short, triangular-oblong, abruptly truncate. 
Pelexia congesta is allied to P. Funckiana (A. Rich. & 
Gal.) Schltr., but it differs from that species and from all its 
Central American allies in its congested habit, cellular- 
pubescent anterior surface of the column, prominent conical 
spur and large flowers. Like P. callosa Ames, it has a 
densely pubescent outer surface of the perianth, but it has 
short lip-auricles and very short petioles. 
The description was made from a single dried plant. 
Costa Rica, Province of Guanacaste, La Tejona, North 
of Tilaran, Paul C. Standley & Juvenal Valerio 45885, Jan- 
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