Epidendrum microrigidiflorum Hágsater 2006 GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Stenophyton
Photos by © Gary Yong Gee
TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
THROUGH MID 
Common Name The Small Rigid Flower Epidendrum
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]
Found in Costa Rica and Panama at elevations of 1000 to 1800 meters as a large to giant sized, cool growing epiphyte with branching subapically, cane-like, terete, thin, straight stems carrying 4 to7, along the apical 2/3's of the stem, alternate, coriaceous, entire marginally, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, articulate below into the base leaves that blooms in the fall through mid winter on a terminal, erect, racemose, occuring only once, terete, thin, short, straight inflorescence without a spathaceous bract, with twice as long as the ovary, narrowly triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying 8 to 16, simultaneously opening, non-resupinate flowers.
"Epidendrum microrigidiflorum belongs to the GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Stenophyton which is characterized by the monopodial stems, branching above, the apical, erect distichous, secund inflorescence with non- resupinate, fleshy flowers, the lip entire, triangular to cordifonn, with small calli and the nectary usually puberulose in front of the stigmatic cavity. The new species is recognized by the 24 to 40" [60-100 cm] tall, subapically branching plants with relatively small leaves .64 to 3" x .24 to .6" [1.6 to 7.5 x 0.6 to 1.5 cm], short inflorescence 2.4 to 4" [6 to 10 cm] long, floral bracts .16 to .36" [4 to 9 mm], with the flowers greenish yellow and the lip greenish orange, the sepals .3 to .312" [7.5 to 7.8 mm] long, and the lip widely rhombic. It is very similar and has been confused with E rigidiflorum which is larger overall and has lanceolate leaves 3 to 7.2" x .4 to 1.08" [7.5 to 18 x 1 to 2.7 cm] long, the inflorescence , 6 to 9.2" [15 to 23 cm] long, distichous and secund, the floral bracts .44 to .88" [11 to 22 mm] long, with yellow, yellowish brown to greenish yellow, large, fragrant flowers with sepals .4" [10 mm] long, with the lip 'deeply cordate-triangular. Both have been confused with the South American Epidendrum chondrochilum Schltr. . which has a racemose, cylindrical inflorescence, with similar flowers." Hagsater etal 2006
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 8 plate 853 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1174 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1545 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 drawing good;
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