Epidendrum alsum Ridl.1886 GROUP Aquaticum
Photos By © Jany Renz and the Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbarium
TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name or Meaning The Fresh Epidendrum
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Guyana and southeastern Venezuela in open areas on shrubs and in bromeliads at elevations of 2300 to 2900 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing terrestro/lithophyte with an erect, cane-like, often branched above, fairly stout, subterete stem carrying up to 17 on the main stem, 3 to 10 on the side branches,all along the stems, distichous, fairly thick, leathery, rigid, linear-ovate, obtuse, rough but shiny above, opaque and glaucous beneath except for the yellow green margin and middle,often apically hooked, margins generally recurved, basally clasping leaves that blooms at most any time of the year on a terminal, erect, peduncle to .28" [7 mm] long, to 4" [to 10 cm] long overall, shortly paniculate, branches 1 to 2.48" {2.5 to 6.2 cm] long, simultaneously to 8 flowered inflorescence with prominent, longer than the ovary, ovate, cucullate, sub-obtuse, clasping floral bracts and carrying fleshy, small, resupinate flowers with the underside of the lip always facing towards the rachis, yellow to light green, the lip pale green, the ovary and column green and no fragrance .
"Epidendrum alsum belongs to the GROUP Aquaticum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching habit, the distichous, erect to arching-nutant inflorescence, with fleshy flowers, and the disc of the lip and/or nectary often pilose. The species is recognized by the short, ovate, very fleshy leaves, with the apex slightly bilobed, the margin revolute, inflorescence paniculate, deflexed, sub-dense, flower yellow or whitish-green, lip pale green, ovary and column green, the lip clearly 3-lobed, the mid-lobe triangular, petals narrowly oblanceolate. Epidendrum imthurnii Ridl. has linear-lanceolate leaves, apex obtuse, never bilobed, margin spreading, inflorescence arching-nutant, flower ochre-yellow to greenish yellow, lip entire, ovate, and the petals linear. Epidendrum montigena Ridl. has oblong leaves, arching-nutant inflorescence with pink flowers, lip widely rhombic, the apex triangular, and the petals oblong-elliptic, with the margin erose towards the apex vs entire.Epidendrum reclinatum Carnevali & I.Ramírez has lanceolate leaves, sub-acuminate, a racemose inflorescence erect to somewhat reclining, flowers white or yellowish white, the lip transversely rhombic when spread, and petals narrowly spatulate. Epidendrum ulei Schltr. Has oblong leaves, the apex obtuse, inflorescence 5.2" [13 cm] long vs 1.2 to 2.6" [3.0 to 6.5 cm] lon), flowers greenish yellow, lip dolabriform-reniform and petals linear. Epidendrum durum Lindl. has ovate-lanceolate leaves with an acute apex, inflorescence racemose to paniculate, erect, few-flowered, sepals oblong apex acute, flowers apparently yellow. Epidendrum dendrobioides Thunb. has linear-lanceolate, acute leaves, inflorescence simple to rarely paniculate, erect, and yellow flowers." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 6: 41 Schlechter 1919; AOS Bulletin Vol 33 #8 1964; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 3 Dunsterville & Garay 1965 drawing fide; Orchidaceae Brasilense Band 1 Pabst & Dungs 1975 drawing fide; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 9 513 - 576 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Dunsterville and Garay 1979 drawing fide;
Icones Orchidacearum 2 Plate 171 Hagsater & Dodson 1993 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 238 Bennett & Chriustenson 1995 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 7 Plate 790 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1349 Hagsater 2010 see recognition section; Orquideas de Roirama Luz & Franco 2012 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16(1): t. 1602 Hagsater etal 2018 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1628 Hagsater & Santiago 2018 See recognition section;
Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1644 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 se recognition section;
Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1647 Hagsater 2018 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1} Plate 1652 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1662 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1663 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1664 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 See recognition section;
