LCDP Photo by E. Hágsater & R. Jiménez M. /Photo by © O. A. Pérez E and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Ocher Colored E geminiflorum Epidendrum
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in Colombia, Ecuador and south to central Peru, straggling on bushes and ledges at elevations of 2100-3500 meters as a large sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, produced from the middle of the previous stem, terete at base, somewhat laterally compressed towards the apex; base covered with non-foliar tubular, scarious, becoming fibrous with time sheaths and carrying 5 to 10, distributed along the apex of the stems, articulate, alternate, sub-spreading, coriaceous, rigid, green, concolor; sheaths tubular, minute, longitudinally striated, pale green; blade oblong, apex unequally bilobed, margin entire leaves that blooms at most any time of the year on a terminal, arising through 2, tubular at base, conduplicate above, apex obtuse, obovate when spread, margin entire spathes, peduncle 2.12 to 2.8" [5.3 to 7.0 cm] long, totally hidden within the spathes, rachis .68 to 1.4" [1.7 to 3.5 cm] long, 4 to 5.2" [10 to 13 cm] long (including flowers), apical, erect, racemose, simultaneoulsy 2 to 6 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acute, embracing floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, erect, fleshy, rigid flowers with the sepals, petals and lip orange to ochre-orange, centrally concolor, dorsally spotted with reddish brown, column greenish yellow, anther cream colored; fragrance not registered.
"Epidendrum geminiochraceum belongs to the GROUP Geminiflorum characterized by having a sympodial, scandent, straggling habit, an unbranched stem, 1 to 2 spathaceous bracts, a few-flowered inflorescence, non-resupinate flowers, more than 2 cm in diameter, and the disc of the lip is not excavated with a pair of laminar calli. The new species is recognized by the relatively tall stems to 13.2" [33 cm], leaves 1.2 to 5.2" x .48 to .132" [3.0 to 13.0 x 1.2 to 3.3 cm], oblong, coriaceous and rigid, 2 to 6 flowers fleshy, orange to ochre-orange, sepals .84 to .92" x .26 to .32" [21 to 23 x 6.5 to 8.0 mm], acuminate, longitudinally somewhat convex, petals .732 to .76" x .16 to .24" [18.3 to 19 x 4.0 to 6.0 mm], lanceolate, lip .6 to .68 x .64 to .69" [15 to 17 x 16 to 16.5 mm], clearly 3-lobed, the mid-lobe widely triangular, short-acuminate. Epidendrum geminiflorum Kunth is vegetatively similar, leaves 1.2 to 3.6 x .56 to 1.04" [3.0 to 9.0 x 1.4 to 2.6 cm], oblong, 2 to 3 flowers, green to greenish yellow, sepals acute, margins revolute, sepals .56 to .72" x .14 to .18" [14 to 18 x 3.5 to 4.5 mm], petals .574 to .64" x .108 to .132" [14.4 to 16 x 2.7 to 3.3 mm], lanceolate, lip .4to .52" x .32 to .48" [10 to 13 x 8 to 12 mm], 3-lobed, the lateral lobes semi-orbicular, small. Epidendrum azuayense Hágsater & E.Santiago has stems 2.4 to 6.4" [6.0 to 16 cm] tall, oblong-elliptic leaves .4 to 2" x .32 to .6" [1.0 to 5.0 x 0.8 to 1.5 cm], 2-flowered inflorescence, flowers orange, column green, sepals .52 to .72" x .2 to .24" [13 to 18 x 5.0 to 6.0 mm], oblanceolate petals .48 to .56" x .2 to .24" [12 to 16 x 5.0 to 6.0 mm], and lip .32 to .36 x .44" [8.0 to 9.0 x 11.0 mm], widely cordiform, apex obtuse. Epidendrum megagastrium Lindl. has leaves 1.2 to 2" x .78 to .92" [3.0 to 5.0 x 1.8 to 2.3 cm], elliptic, 3 copper-brown flowers, column pale green, sepals .802 x .304" [20.5 x 7.6 mm], flat, ovate-elliptic, acute, petals .78 x .188" [18.5 x 4.7 mm], oblong-elliptic, lip .456 x .4" [11.4 x 10.0 mm], narrowly cordiform. Epidendrum orbicordichilum Hágsater & E.Santiago has leaves 1.48 to 3.6" x .76 to 1.4" [3.7 to 9.0 x 1.8 to 3.5 cm], elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 2 sepia-ochre flowers turning bright orange with age, sepals acute, minutely apiculate, petals .68 x .216" [17 x 5.4 mm], elliptic, apex sub-acute, lip .56 x .56" [14 x 14 mm], entire, orbicular-cordiform." Hagsater etal 2019
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1725 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 /LCDP/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1768 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1843 Hagsater, Santiago and Medina 2020 see recognition section
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