Epidendrum rhombicapitellatum Hágsater & Dodson 2007 GROUP Capitellatum

TYPE Drawing © by R Jimenez M and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The Diamond Shaped Mid Lip Capitellatum Group Epidendrum

Flower Size .36" [9 mm]

Found in southern Ecuador on the Cordillera del Condor in wet forests at elevations around 1650 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing, caespitose epiphyte with simple, produced from near the base of the previous stem, cane-like, laterally compressed stems carrying 9 to 11, all along the stems, nonarticulate, persistent, alternate, spreading on the same plane as the stem, narrowly lanceolate-ovate, acute succulent, apical margin dentate leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, without a spathe, racemose, pendent, short, occuring only once, narrow, acute spathes that cover almost all the erect, laterally flattened, peduncle, sessile, rachis totally enveloped by the floral bracts, simultaneously 4 to 5 flowered inflorescence with longer than the ovary, triangular-lanceolate floral bracts and carrying resupinate, pale green flowers.

"Epidendrum rhombicapitelatum belongs to the GROUP Capitellatum which is characterized by the erect or pendent, succulent stems, the non-articulate leaves, with a compact, spherical head of fleshy greenish flowers, without any spathaceous bract, and the bicallose lip, the lateral sepals with a prominent dorsal, dentate keel. The species is recognized by the small plants with short, wide leaves, the 3-lobed lip. with the rhombic mid lobe somewhat larger than the lateral lobes. Epidendrum capitellatum has taller plants, 8 to 10" [10 to 25 cm] tall, and a 3-lobed lip where the mid lobe is smaller than the lateral lobes and emarginateˇ notched at the apex. Epidendrum pterogastrium Hagsater has plants about 4" [10 cm] high, the leaves apically decurved, and the lip entire, cordate-reniform." Hagsater etal 2007

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 980 Hagsater & Dodson 2007 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1445 Hagsater & Santiago 2013 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1684 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; ; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1851 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section

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