Epidendrum agathosmicum Rchb.f. GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Densiflorum

Drawing by © Dunsterville & Garay and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the JanyRenz Herbaria Website

Common Name The Good Smelling Epidendrum

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Colombia and Venezuela in rainforests at elevations of 100 to 700 meters as a large to giant sized, hot to warm growing mostly terrestrial orchid with erect, cane-like, basally swollen, abruptly terete throughout and laterally compressed towards the apex stems carrying alternate, lanceolate, acute, basally clasping leaves that blooms in the fall, winter and spring on a terminal, pendent, to 4.8" [12 cm] long, racemose above, shortly branched below, simultaneously several to many flowered inflorescence carrying fragrant white flowers.

"Epidendrum agathosmicum Rchb.f. belongs to the GROUP Pseudepidendrum which is characterized by caespitose plants, cane-like stems, acute to acuminate leaves, usually apical inflorescence, without any spathaceous bract, though it may have several bracts, the mostly filiform petals and the lip usually 3-lobed (with 3 parallel fleshy keels), the apical lobe often bifurcate, the “bird-wing” type pollinia, at least the inner pair, and SUBGROUP Densiflorum where the short-pedunculate inflorescence is paniculate, flowering only once, flowers are green, the apex of the column and disc of the lip creamy-white, the calli sometimes tinged purple, the petals are linear-oblong to linear-oblanceolate, never filiform, and the pollinia “bird-wing” type, unequal in shape, the inner pair smaller. The species has a similar plant habit to Epidendrum jacarandichromum , but the flowers are entirely white, the petals much wider, the lateral lobes of the lip have a dentate lip, and the mid-lobe, though also bifid has two somewhat orbicular lobes." Adapted from plate 1630 Hagsater etal 2018

Synonyms Epidendrum lilacinum Linden 1881

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 6: 41 Schlechter 1919; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 6: 70 Schlechter 1919 as E lilacinum; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 7: 248 Schlechter 1920 as E lilacinum; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961 drawing good; Flora de Venezuela Volumen XV Part 3 Foldats 1970 drawing ok; Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Dunsterville, G.C.K. & Garay, L.A., 1979 drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide; Flora de la Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Myrtaceae- Plumbaginaceae Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievytch and Holst 2003; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1347 Hagsater & Dodson 2010 See Recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1630 Hagsater & Santiago 2018 See recognition section;

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