<i>Sobralia decora</i> Bateman (Orchidaceae) and its relatives in South America

A taxonomical study of <i>Sobralia decora</i> and allied species recorded in South America is presented. The group is characterized by light pink to purple flowers, often with a white tip of the labellum and yellow to brown area on its throat. If considering the habit, the species can be recognized and distinguished from all other <i>Sobralia</i> species by producing keikis-stems arising from the old inflorescence. The similarity of the species forming the discussed complex caused numerous mistakes noticed in the literature and among the herbarium specimens. The aim of the elaboration is to clarify the differences allowing to determine the living and herbarium specimens with no errors.