Epidendrum alfonsopozoi Hágsater & Dodson 2004 GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea

Photo by © Eric Hagsater

TYPE Drawing

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

LATE THROUGH LATE

Common Name Alfonso Pozo's Epidendrum [Ecuadorian Discoverer of species current]

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in Ecuador on sheer rock faces and in old trees at elevations around 2650 to 3100 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte or lithophyte with cane-like, terete, thin stems that give rise to new growths from the apical internode of the previous stem and carrying 6 to 16, all along the stem, the lower ones deciduous, subcoriaceous, suberect, linear-lanceolate, obtuse, bilobed, margin entire, smooth leaves that blooms in the late winter through late summer on a terminal occuring only once, racemose, terete, thin, sub-umbellate, somewhat arching, 1" [2.5 cm] long, many flowered inflorescence with two basal bracts similar to the, half as long as the ovary, narrowly triangular acute floral bracts and carrying 22 simultaneously opening, resupinate, spirally disposed on the rachis, orange-ochre colored flowers.

"Epidendrum alfonsopozoi belongs to the 2004 GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea which is characterized by the branching plants, linear lanceolate to oblong, bilobed leaves, racemose, arching-nutant inflorescence, membranaceous flowers (rarely fleshy), the entire to 3-lobed, ecallose lip wlth the margin erose, without or with 1 to 10 thin, smooth to erose keels, the column completely to obliquely united to the lip, the anther reniform. The new species is recognized by the resupinate, orange-ochre marked with burgundy-red flowers, sepals .16" [4 mm] long, with a cordiform lip, 1 x .12" [2.5 x 3 mm], with three keels, and a straight column that is .08" [2 mm] long. It is similar to Epidendrum jativae Dodson which has non-resupinate, green to purplish brown flowers, sepals .24" [6 mm] long, the lip.28 x .32" [7 x 8 mm], three lobed with the midlobe bilobed, column .2" [5 mm] long. Epidendrum microdiothoneum Hágsater & Dodson has an arched column, resupinate, greenish yellow to brownish purple flowers, sepals .24 to .28" [6 to 7 mm] long, lip three lobed, .28 x .24" [7 x 6 mm], and ovary thickened ventrally along the apical 2/3's, the column .12" [3 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2004

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 702 Hasater & Salazar 2004 drawing fide; Orquideologia Vol 24 #1 2005 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 987 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1345 Hagsater & Dodson 2010 See Recognition section;

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