Description:
<p>Four new species of Malaxis have appeared during preparation of the Flora Mesoamericana and are described and illustrated. Malaxis brevis is a small-flowered species collected several times in western Panama. It resembles M. hastilabia, but the much smaller flowers have a very short lip with short cavities. Malaxis insperata, from Nicaragua, superficially resembles M. brachyrrhynchos, with an entire, obtuse lip, but has conic-ovoid pseudobulbs, rather than globose subterranean corms. Malaxis rostratula is quite small-flowered, and known only from Cerro Colorado, in Panama. Its diminutive lip has a very short, 3-lobed beak. Malaxis triangularis ranges from Mexico to El Salvador and has been misidentified as M. corymbosa (S. Wats.) Kuntze, a northern species with wider, deeply concave lips.</p>