Epidendrum albomarginatum Rchb.f. 1877 GROUP Albomarginatum
LCDP © J. D. Edquén & A. Cisneros/photo © M. Salas G./Drawing by © R Jimenez and AMO Herbario Website
EARLY
Common Name The White Margin Epidendrum [refers to the tepals]
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]
Found in southern Ecuador and northern Peru at elevations around 2300 to 2600 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with thin, basally half cane-like, somewhat thickened above the middle to form a narrowly fusiform pseudobulb enveloped by 5 to 7 tubular, purplish sheaths and each new cane arising from the middle of the previous cane forming a zig-zag chain of stems carrrying 2, apical, articulte, coriaceous, linear to linear-lanceolate, basally conduplicate, obtuse apiculate apically leaves that blooms in the winter and early spring on a terminal, arising on a mature stem, racemose to paniculate, peduncle, long, terete, thin, rachis strongly fractiflex, successively and laxly, successively to 4, 7 to 22 flowered inflorescence with half as long as the ovary, narrowly triangualr, acuminate, amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers with lead colored tepals with white margins, the lip dull green within, the margins transparent to pinkish, the column dark green at the base and white to lilac above.
"Epidendrum albomarginatum belongs to the GROUP Albomarginatumwhich is characterized by the monopodial, vertical, scandent, zigzag habit, stems cane-like below, somewhat thickened along the apical middle-half or third to form a fusiform pseudobulb, the new stem originating just below the thickened part of the previous stem, apically bifoliate, leaves linear-lanceolate to linear-oblong, racemose to paniculate inflorescence, the rachis zigzag, successive pale-translucent flowers with the lateral sepals obliquely united to the base of the column. The species is recognized by the thin stems, cane-like below, fusiform above, leaves linear to linear-lanceolate, 1.2 to 4.2" [3 to 10.5 cm] long, racemose to pluri-racemose inflorescence, peduncle 1.2 to 2.28" [3.0 to 5.7 cm] long, rachis strongly zigzag, flowers dark wine-red, margins white, lip olive-green with disk sometimes turning creamy yellow; lip slightly 3-lobed with the margin sub-lacerate-crenate. Epidendrum francisci Chocce, Hágsater & Acuña has a paniculate inflorescence with the peduncle up to.8" [2 cm] long, rachis slightly zigzag, leaves linear oblong, 2.2" [5.5 to 6 cm] long, flowers pale lilac, the basal half of the column green, the apex dark lilac, the lip entire, bicallose, with the margin entire. Epidendrum subliberum C.Schweinf. is vegetatively similar, but the racemose inflorescence has a straight rachis, small, simultaneous flowers with sepals .12 to .16" [3 to 4 mm long), and the lip is not united to the column." Hagsater etal 2019
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1201 Santiago and Hagsater 2009 Drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1391 Hagsater & Santiago 2010 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1392 Hagsater & Santiago 2010 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1702 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 drawing/photo fide
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