Epidendrum cuneatum Schltr. 1912 GROUP Oerstedella SUBGROUP Wallisii

Photo by © Lourens Grobler

TYPE Drawing of Oerstedella thurstonorum

TYPE Drawing by © Dodson & Hágsater

EARLY

Common Name The Cuneate Epidendrum

Flower Size 1.4" [3.5 cm]

Found in Ecuador and Bolivia on steep slopes in subtropical humid forests at elevations of 700 to 1800 meters as a giant sized warm to cool growing terrestrial with cane-like stems enveloped completely by dry, verrucose, dark red brown, tubular sheaths and carrying distichous, coriaceous, spreading, ovate, green with red spots on the upper surface, basally clasping leaves that blooms in the spring and early summer on a terminal or lateral, racemose to paniculate, 5 to 11 flowered inflorescence enveloped basally by 1 to 2, inflated, bracts.

"Epidendrum cuneatum GROUP Oerstedella SUBGROUP Wallisii characterized by the large fleshy flowers, an entire to trilobed lip, a petaloid clinandrium and obovoid, laterally compressed pollina with granulose caudicles. The species is from the upper Amazon slope of the Andes from Ecuador to Bolivia, has larger plants to 60" [1.5 meters] tall, flowers with green sepals and petals spotted brown, and the lip tinged with vlolet, but the lip is entire, cuneate-obovate, with the apex bilobed Epidendrum medinae Dodson is recognized by the immaculate, olive-green, sepals and petals dotted with red, plants are taller 60" [1.5 meters tall], the sepals and petals are adorned with red dots, and the lateral lobes of the 3- lobed lip are shorter than the midlobe and rounded. E misasii M.A has shorter plants 14" to 20" [35 to 50 cm] tall with immaculate, olive-green sepals and petals, the white lip tinged with purple, and 3-lobed with the lateral lobes reaching the apex of the midlobe." Hagsater etal Adapted from Icones Plate 958 2007

Synonyms Oerstedella thurstonorum Dodson & Hágsater 1988; Oerstedella vasquezii Dodson 1982

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Orquidelogia Vol 17 # 3 pg 139 Dodson & Hagsater 1988 as Oerstedella thurstonorum drawing/photo fide; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 563 Vasquez & Dodson 1982 as Oersedella vasquezii drawing fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 3 Dodson 2002 photo fide; Orchids of Bolivia Vol II Vasquez & Ibisch 2004 as Oerstedella vasquezii; drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 958 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section

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