Epidendrum alabastrialatum Pollard ex Hágsater 1978 GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Arbuscula

Photo by © Eric Hagsater and The Kew Website

Drawing

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

LATER

Common Name The Striped Flower Bud Epidendrum

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Oaxaca state of Mexico and Nicaragua in wet montane cloud forests at elevations of 1100 to 1600 meters as a small to medium sized, cool growing epiphyte with a much branched stem enveloped completely by imbricate sheaths and carrying 2 to 4, apical, articulate, lanceolate, acute, subcoriaceous leaves that blooms in the later summer and fall on a terminal, drooping, to 2.4" [6 cm] long, racemose, to about 10 flowered inflorescence.

"Epidendrum alabastrialatum belongs to the GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Arbuscula which is characterized by the successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, arching, apical inflorescence with membranaceous, colorful flowers, the lip bicallose. The species is recognized by the 4-lobed lip with the four sub-orbicular lobes about equal in size, and the lateral sepals .64 to .84" [16 to 21 mm] long, with a prominent dorsal keel which gives the floral buds a winged aspect, the simultaneous flowers are greenish yellow with a white lip and column, the calli orange-yellow. Epidendrum nicaraguense Scheeren ex Hágsater is morphologically very similar, but the flowers are pale pink and turn orange yellow, the calli yellow, fragrant, and flower between December to February. Epidendrum arbuscula Lindl. has a more dense inflorescence, shorter ovaries, 3-lobed lip with the mid-lobe emarginate, .6" [15 mm] long sepals, the three sepals dorsally keeled and thus the floral bud is 3-winged, the flowers are fragrant at night. Epidendrum greenwoodii Hágsater has more robust plants, a longer inflorescence, orange-ochre flowers with the lip white towards the base, the apical lobes are narrow, a weak nocturnal fragrance and short ovary. Epidendrum camposii Hágsater also has a longer, dense inflorescence of some 20 to 45 pink to rosy white flowers which turn yellowish, the lip white and the lip 3-lobed." Hagsater etal 2010

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Plantarum Tropicarum Plate 706 Hamer 1982 drawing fide; Selbyana Vol 10 Orchids of Central America Hamer 1988 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 804 Hagsater and Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1129 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1301 Hagsater & Sanchez 2010 drawing fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018

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