Epidendrum arcuiflorum Ames & C.Schweinf. 1930 GROUP Alpicolum SUBGROUP Alpicolum

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

THROUGH MID

Common Name The Arching Inflorescence Epidendrum

Flower Size 6" [1. cm]

Found in Costa Rica and Panama in moist, montane, crest woods at elevations around 600 to 1900 meters as a small to medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, subterete basally, laterally compresssed above, slightly ancipitose, somewhat sinuous stems enveloped in the basal half by tubular, scarious sheaths and carrying 4 to 7, along the apical half, distichous, suberect, linear-lanceolate, acute, minutely apiculate, margin entire, articulate below into the base leaves that blooms in the summer through mid fall on a terminal, occuring only once, racemose, thin, laterally compressed, ancipitose, arching-nutant, 30 to 70 flowered inflorescence arising through 1 to 2, tubular, long and narrowly ancipitose, spathaceous bracts with linear-lanceolate, acuminate, as long as the ovary floral bracts and carrying simultaneously opening, fleshy, resupinate flowers with the tepals green to greenish brown, a yellowish to orange lip with white margins and the basal half of the column greenish and the apical half whitish.

" Epidcndrum arcuiflorum belongs to the GROUP Alpicolum SUBGROUP Alpicolum which is characterized by lhe simple, cane-like stems, long, narrow 1 to 2 spathaceous bracts, fox-tail-like inflorescence and numerous f1owers with a fleshy lip, triangular midlobe and roundish lateral lobes. The species is recognized by the strongly arching basal half of the column wlth a pair of prominent lateral rounded, apical wings, and the much reduced, bifid c1inandrium-hood, which leaves the anther totally exposed, the lateral lobes of the lip are ovate, and the midlobe lanceolate to subtriangular, shorter than the lateral lobes. Epidendrum powellii Schltr. has a totally different, truncate, slightly arching column with a short, entire c1inandrium-hood covering the anther; the lateral lobes of the lip are dolabriform, and the midlobe ensiform, longer than the lateral lobes." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1103 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1163 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 photo fide;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------