Epidendrum moralesii Hágsater, N.Gut. & E.Santiago 2018
TYPE Photo © /TYPE LCDP by N. Gutiérrez and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name Morales' Epidendrum [Colombian Grandfather who passed down the land where the orchid occurs 1914 - 1989]
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Santander department of Colombia in moist tropical forsests on the western slope of the Cordillera Oriental at elevations around 2440 meters as a large sized, cold growing epiphyte with cane-like, laterally compressed, terete at base, ancipitose above, straight, progressively zig-zag towards the apex stems carrying 9 to 11, distributed throughout the stem; sheath ancipitose, striated; blade all similar in size, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle 5" [12.5 cm} long, elongate, ancipitose, flexuous, with prominent bracts at the internodes, somewhat-leaf-like, especially the basal ones, progressively smaller, the base tubular, ancipitose, above conduplicate bracts, rachis very short, 5.46" [13.6 cm] long overall, apical, racemose, successivly, single, few flowered inflorescence with equal to longer than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying resupinate, non fragrant flowers with the sepals and petals dull purple-brown, column greenish, white towards the apex, lip dirty white.
"Epidendrum moralesii does not fit well into any of the presently recognized groups. The species is recognized by the sympodial, caespitose habit, many-leaved, laterally compressed, ancipitose stems, straight, becoming somewhat flexuous towards the apex, leaves narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, inflorescence elongate, peduncle flexuous, with prominent leaf-like bracts progressively smaller, sepals narrowly elliptic, petals oblanceolate, lip entire, widely hexagonal, base deeply cordate, apex deeply emarginate, revolute in natural position, veins prominently thickened towards the disc. The plant habit is very close to Epidendrum jatunsachanum Dodson & Hágsater from Ecuador to southern Peru with stems laterally compressed, ancipitose, many leaved and the fractiflex inflorescence with prominent long acuminate bracts and flowers produced singly in succession, the lip however, is deeply 3-lobed, base truncate, margin fimbriate; disc with a single, narrow, elongate rib reaching the apical sinus; lateral lobes obliquely rectangular; mid-lobe flabellate, slightly emarginate, forming a pair of sub-quadrate lobes. The flowers are reminiscent of Epidendrum laxicaule D.E.Benn. & Christenson, with the prominently thickened veins, entire clinandrium hood." Hagsater 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16[1} Plate 1646 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide;
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