Epidendrum pachygastrium Kraenzl. 1905 GROUP Ventricosum

Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The Thick Bellied Epidendrum [refers to the thick belly-like nectary formed by the column and the lip]

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in northern Peru at the northern end of the Cordillera Oriental at elevations between 1900 and 3000 meters as a miniature to small sized, cold growing epiphyte with thin, cane-like, simple, laterally compressed, ancipitous, new stem arising from the basal fourth of the previous stem and carrying 3 to 5, all along the apical 2/3's of the stem, unequal, fleshy, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, obtuse unequally bilobed, margin crenulate leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, racemose, on a maturre stem, occuring only once, arcuate, peduncle to 1.2" [3 cm] long, bractless, 3.4 to 5.2" [8.5 to 13 cm] long overall, simultaneously 6 to 17 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying magenta, transluscent, resupinate, non-fragrant flowers with the calli whitish and opening from the apex first then proceeding to the base.

"Epidendrum pachygastrium is part of the GROUP Ventricosum characterized by the sympodial habit, the few leaved stem the prominent spathaceous bract and the resupinate flowers, mostly bright purple with a wide, smooth nectary that does not penetrate the ovary. The species is recognized by the subcaespitose habit, medium sized plants with ancipitose stems, a narrow spathaceous bract and a racemose inflorescence with bright magenta colored, translucent flowers; the leaves are narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, 1.2 to 3.2 x .4" [3 to 8 x 0.6 to 1 cm] and the lip is triangular-cordiform, slightly wider than long and wlth two large, subglobose calli nearly half as long as the lip. Epidendrum ventricosum Lindl. is closely related and very similar but has longer, narrower leaves 1.6 to 4.8" x .12 to [4 to 12 x 0.3 to 0.8 cm], the lip is as wide as it is long, and the calli are smaller, about 1/2 the length of the lip, and is found in the same general area but north of Chachapoyas, in the hills northwest of lake Pomacocha. Epidendrum leimebambense Hágsater, is similar and also grows south of Chachapoyas but the leaves are still wider, up to .68" [1.7 cm] wide, flowers larger, sepals .56 to 64" [14 to 16 mm] long, pale green marked with purple, and líp cordiform, .32 to .44" [8 x 11 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2007

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 970 Hagsater 2007 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1194 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1238 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1302 Hagsater 2010 see recognition section;

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