Epidendrum albazoense Hágsater & Salas Guerr 2018 GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Incomptum

Photo by © M. Salas G. Courtesy Eric Hagsater and Icones Orchidacearum 16(1): t. 1601 Hagsater etal 2018

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Common Name The El Albazo Epidendrum [in the Cordillera Yasgolga, a part of the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes, source of the Río Utcubamba, which runs into the Río Marañón, where the species has been collected]

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in northern Peru in wet montane forests at elevations above 2500 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, erect, each new stem originates from a sub-apical internode of the previous stem, cane-like, terete, straight, thin stems carrying 2 to 3, aggregate towards the apex, alternate, narrowly elliptic, acute, smooth, margin entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the spring on a terminal, occuring only once, peduncle short, laterally compressed, straight, provided with a single, near the base of the rachis, narrowly triangular, conduplicate, acuminate bract, racemose, 2 to 3.2" [5 to 8 cm] long, laxly, simultaneously 8 to 15 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, linear to triangular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying resupinate, greenish turning yellowish, disagreeably scented flowers.

"Epidendrum albazoënse belongs to the GROUP Arbusculum which is characterized by the erect habit with successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, roots generally only from the base of the primordial stem, and the SUBGROUP Incomptum which has a short apical inflorescence with fleshy yellowish to green to violet-green to black flowers with short ovaries, the lip entire to 3-lobed.The species is recognized by the green flowers turning yellowish, tinged purple, especially at the apex of the column, and over the veins of the lip, marked by purple dots, sepals are 14.7-20 mm long, petals narrowly elliptic, base narrowly cuneate, acute, 3-veined, the lip 3-lobed, 8.5 x 16 mm, the lateral lobes sub-reniform, at an oblique angle, the wider part of the lip between the apices of the lateral lobes; mid-lobe 2.9 x 6.5 mm, sub-rectangular, apex deeply retrorse, corners rounded." Hagsater etal. 2016

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16(1): t. 1601 Hagsater etal 2018 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1750 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section;

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