Epidendrum otuzcense Hágsater & E.Santiago 2009 GROUP Geminiflorum

TYPE Drawing by © Lopez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The Otuzco Epidendrum [A town in central Peru near where the type species was collected]

Flower Size 1.2” [3 cm]

Found in central Peru on the western slope of the Andes at elevations of 2400 to 2850 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing lithophyte with simple, cane-like, terete, erect stems carrying 3, aggregate towards the apex of the stems, alternate, coriaceous, elliptic, unequally bilobed apically, low dorsal keel, margin entire, somewhat revolute leaves that blooms in the winter through spring on a terminal, arising through 1 to 2, tubular, conduplicate, imbricate, narrowly obovate, rounded, ancipitous spathes, erect, racemose, peduncle completely hidden within the spathe, rachis very short, terete, thin, simultaneously 3 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, wine colored flowers.

"Epidendrum otuzcense belongs to the GROUP Geminiflorum characterized by the sympodial habit, with new stems arising from the middle node of the previous one, a prominent round to ovate spathe, few non-resupinate flowers and a papillate, excavated disc of the lip. The species is characterized by the sympodial habit, creeping rhizome, unbranched stem, 1 to 2 spathaceous bracts and a few-flowered inflorescence, the flowers non-resupinate, more than .8" [2 cm] in diameter, the disc of the lip is not excavate, with a pair of laminar calli. The new species has 3 simultaneous flowers, sepals .48 to .52" [1.2 to 1.3 cm] long, the lip deeply cordate and narrowed in the middle to produce a somewhat 3-lobed lip, the flowers are vinaceous, or wine colored. It is somewhat similar to E. rotundifolium Hágsater & Dodson which has much wider leaves, to 1.56" [to 3.4 cm], narrower, oblong petals, and a triangular, cordate lip. Epidendrum geminiflorum Kunth, from Colombia (Popayán) has acuminate tepals." Hagsater etal 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1269 Hagsater & Santiago 2009 drawing fide;

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