NEW OR NOTEWORTHY ORCHIDS 
sheaths finely dark-punetate, tightly clasping in the lower 
portion of the stem. Leaves numerous, distichous, oblong, 
oblong-lanceolate or elliptic-oblong, 6.5-10 cm. long, 1.15- 
2.4 cm. wide, the uppermost and especially the lowermost 
often much smaller, abruptly rounded with a minutely 
bilobed tip, clasping at the rounded base, widely spreading, 
coriaceous, the mid-nerve prominently sulcate above and 
sharply carinate beneath. Inflorescence terminal, contracted, 
a 2- or rarely 3-flowered raceme. Rachis very short, up to 
2 cm. long, concealed by an erect foliaceous ancipitous 
sheath. Floral bracts large, clasping, surpassing the pedicel¬ 
late ovary, about 3-4.5 cm. long, tubular-involute. Flowers 
large and showy; perianth segments rigid-nervose. Lateral 
sepals oblong, 3-3.65 cm. long, 6.5 to almost 8 mm. wide 
below the middle, acute, keeled on the outer surface, base 
slightly oblique. Dorsal sepal very similar. Petals nar¬ 
rowly elliptic, acute, 2.9-3.5 cm. long, 9.5-12.5 mm. wide. 
Labellum adnate to the column up to the clinandrium; lam- | 
ina elliptic-ovate, 2.4-3 cm. long, 1.7-2.1 cm. wide in the 
middle, abruptly acute, with a dorsal apicule, more or less 
cordate at baSe, margins irregular. Disc at the very base 
with a minute trifurcate callus running onto the nerves, the 
central nerve much the most conspicuous throughout its 
length. Column very short and stout, 5.5-8 mm. high, 
upper margins irregular. 
Epidendrum mirabile recalls E. imbricalum Lindk, E. 
Boissierianum Schltr. and E. modestijlorum Schltr., but is 
unique through its relatively gigantic flowers. 
Costa Rica, San Ignacio de Aserri, Anastasia Alfaro 
180, September 12, 1925. 1150 meters altitude. “Flowers 
rose purple, lip white.” (Type in Herb. Ames No. 31332; 
Duplicate Type in U. S. Nat. Herb. Nos. 1208293, 1208294): 
Tablazo, C. H. Lankester 1220, October 1928. 5000-6000 i 
feet altitude. The collector’s notes specify that the vegeta¬ 
tive parts are defective, the leafy stem (taken from a straggling 
plant of some fifty stems) being 12-15 inches long, the flow¬ 
ers whole-color, purplish lilac (Ridgway 37), a paler nearly 
white area at central base of lip, and column white. He 
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