Epidendrum cryptotropis Hágsater, Collantes & E.Santiago 2013 GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea
TYPE Photo/TYPE Drawing by © Collantes and The AMO Herbaria Website
Common Name The Hidden Keel Epidendrum [refers to the prominent ribs of the lip which are hidden within the sac-like base under the column]
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in central Peru on the Cordillera Occidental at elevations of 2500 to 2700 meters as a small sized, cold growing, monopodial epiphyte or terrestrial with branching, arising from the apical internodes of the previous, terete, thin straight stem carrying usually 2, at the apex of the branches, distichous, unequal in size, articulate, subcoriaceous, narrowly lanceolate, subobtuse, margin entire leaves that blooms in the winter on a terminal, without a spathe, racemose, arching, .4" [1 cm] long, occuring only once, simultaneously 7 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying resupinate, yellowish green, dirty, sweaty clothes smelling flowers with the borders and veins purple and the lip and the column apex tinged purple.
"Epidendrum cryptotropis belongs to the GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea which is characterized by the branching plants, linear lanceolate to oblong, bilobed leaves, racemose, arching-nutant inflorescence, membranaceous flowers (rarely fleshy), the entire to 3-lobed, ecallose lip with the margin denticulate-erose with or without 1 to 10 thin, smooth to erose ribs, sometimes very prominent and like an inverted “L” or narrowly “U” shaped, the column completely to obliquely united to the lip, and the anther reniform. The species is recognized by the yellow greenish flowers with veins and edges lined purple, the sepals dorsally glabrous .4 to .48" [10 to 12 mm] long, the column thick, nearly totally united to the lip and with a column foot that forms a sac-like prominence at the base of the sub-pandurate lip, the margin hyaline, dentate, the disc with 5 laminar keels which become prominent within the sac of the lip, under the column, the lateral ribs are united at the base in the shape of a narrowly inverted “U”, the central rib is hidden, straight, and smooth. Epidendrum heterothoneum (Rchb.f. & Warsc.) Hágsater & Dodson, has up to 13 flowers, partly spreading, acuminate sepals and petals which are nearly as long as the lip, the column is thick and bidentate at the apex, does not have a column foot nor a sac-like lip and the lip lacks any keels. Epidendrum trachysepalum Hágsater has up to 10 yellowish brown flowers with reddish veins, the sepals .38 to .44" {9.5 to 11 mm] long, are strongly muricate, the lip totally free from the column and is adorned with 5 thin ribs, at the base of the lip the lateral pair is united and narrowly “U” shaped, and the mid-rib is shorter and only appears on the disc. Epidendrum trachypentatropis Hágsater & E.Santiago has smaller flowers, sepals .22 to .248" [5.5 to 5.7 mm] long are dorsally ornate with the apices muricate, the lip is united to the column and has 5 prominent, short, straight, free, unequal in shape and size ribs hidden under the column. Epidendrum astetei Hágsater, Collantes & Mormontoy has pale purple flowers, the inflorescence short and dense, sepals .36 to .4" [9 to 10 mm] long, a 3- lobed lip and the column a pair of prominent wings at the apex. Epidendrum trachydipterum Hágsater, W.Nauray & E.Santiago has greenish brown flowers, the sepals ca. .4 to .44" [10 to 11 mm] long dorsally ornate with spine-like appendages, lip united to the column, deeply 3-lobed, the midlobe forming two lobes separated by a deep, narrow sinus, the disc with 5 parallel, laminar ribs, the apex of the column with a pair or prominent rounded wings." Hagsater etal 2010
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1395 Hagsater & Santiago 2010 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1409 Hagsater & Santiago 2013 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1420 Hágsater & Santiago 2010 drawing fide; LANKESTERIANA 14(1) 2014; ; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1850 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021
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