Epidendrum lehmannii Rchb.f. 1878 GROUP Excisum SUBGROUP Leucochilum

Photo by © Lourens Grobler

Drawing

Drawing of E euspathum by © A. Pastorelli de Bennett and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name Lehmann's Epidendrum [German Consul to Colombia 1800's]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Ecuador and Peru at elevations around 1000 to 1800 meters as a medium sized, cool growing, large to giant sized terrestrial with simple, several noded stems carrying 3, at the apex, thinly coriaceous, oblanceolate-elliptic to elliptic, acute to subacute, basally clasping leaves that blooms in the spring on a terminal, peduncle to 5.2" [13 cm] long, entirely enveloped by a large, conduplicate, oblanceolate-oblong spathe, to 10" [25 cm] long, to 6 flowered inflorescence with flowers that smell of Papaya.

Similar to E lacustre but differs in having a few very wide leaves and smaller flowers that appear to be or be related to E nocturnum but has spathaceous bracts and flowers only once.

"Epidendrum lehmannii Rchb.f. is part of GROUP Excisum SUBGROUP Leucochilum characterized by the caespitose plants with cane-like, erect stems, fleshy leaves, the base of the inflorescence with 1 to 2, spathe-like bracts, star-shaped flowers with narrow sepals and pctals, and a prominent, acuminate, lip. from the eastern slopes of the Andes in southern Ecuador where Epidendrum coxianum is sympatric, and northern Peru, has the stems laterally flattened above, 2 to 5 leaves distrbuted towards the apical 1/3 of the stems, the leaves elliptic, 6.4 to 10.4" [14 to 26 cm] long, a prominent spathaceous bract 2.8 to 6.8" [7 to 17 cm] long, and the flowers star- like, the sepals and petals similar, and the lip 3-lobed, with a narrow, triangular midlobe. Epidendrum coxianum is recognized by the tall, terete, cane-like stems, with a pair of elliptic-orbicular, coriaceous leaves, an erect, lax-flowered, racemose to paniculate inflorescence with large, simultaneous flowers, the petals much reduced, hair-like, and a suborbicular lip at the end of an upright, sigmoid column; the single spathaceous bract is small." Adapted from Icones Orchidacearum 8 plate 820 Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms Epidendrum euspathum Kraenzl. 1905

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Otia Botanica Hamburgensia Rchb.f 1878; Orchids of Peru Vol 2 Fieldiana Schweinfurth 1959; Fieldiana Biology, Vol 33, 1st Supple. to the Orchids of Peru Schweinfurth 1970; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 045 Bennett & Christenson 1993 as E euspathum drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 820 Hagsater 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1135 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Part 12 Plate 1260 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Orchids of Tropical America Meisel 2014 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #4 2017 photo fide;

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