Brachionidium brachycladum Luer & R.Escobar 1986

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Epidendra Website

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Short Branch Brachionidium [refers to the short ramicaul]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in western Antioquia department of Colombia in cloud forests at elevations around 2050 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with a comparitively stout, prostrate, long-repent, branching rhizome enveloped by 3 imbricate, long-mucronate sheaths giving rise to a suberect ramicaul enveloped by 2 long-mucronate sheaths and carrying a single, apical, suberect to spreading, coriaceous, broadly ellptic to round, 3 veined, apex and base obtuse to rounded, narrowing into the petiolate base leaf that blooms in the late winter and early spring on a slender, erect, .2 to .24" [5 to 6 mm] long, single flowered inflorescence with a bract near the middle and another at the base and carrying a transparent white, non-resupinate flower with an inflated, acuminate, as long as the pedicel and the ovary floral bract.

"Characterized by tiny, round leaves with somewhat larger flowers. The sepals and petals are acuminate into tails about as long as the blades. The lip is transverse with a horseshoe-shaped callus. Most similar to Brachionidium pusillum but B brachycladium differs in the round leaves, thicker rhizome and the lip with obtuse instead of acute lateral angles." Luer 1995

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Orquideologia Vol 16 #3 1986 drawing fide; Icones Pleurothallidinarum Vol XII Systematics of Brachionidium Luer 1995 drawing fide; Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014

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