Epidendrum althaniorum Hagsater & Collantes 2013 GROUP Porpax
Photo /TYPE Drawing © by Benjamin Collantes and The AMO Herbario Website
LATE 
AND 
Common Name The Al Thani's Epidendrum [Qatari Emir and wife who support Peruvian Conservation]
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in southern Peru on the eastern slopes of the Andes in cloud forests at elevations around 1900 to 2100 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, terete, thickened, straight, oblique stems carrying about 5 to 6, distichous, coriaceous, ovate to lanceolate, semiterete, minutely apiculate, basally clasping, conduplicate leaves that blooms in the spring and fall on a terminal, very short, sessile, single flowered inflorescence with hemi-ovate, semi-translucent, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying a resupinate flower.
"Epidendrum althaniorum belongs to the GROUP Porpax, which is characterized by the small, creeping plants with succulent leaves, single flowers mostly green with a usually shiny wine-red lip. The species is recognized by the orbicular to widely transversely ovate lip, neither cordate nor emarginated, and the narrowly triangular, acuminate petals, which have a minutely papillose margin. Epidendrum gnomus Rchb.f. has an ovate lip, the margin dentate. Epidendrum mathewsii Rchb.f. has erect stems, the leaves always spreading, somewhat canaliculated, and perpendicular to the axis of the stem, a bilobed lip, the base cordate and the apex emarginate, the petals oblong, apically obtuse. Epidendrum maxthompsonianum Hágsater & Dalström has a circular lip, the margin minutely dentate, the column very short, oblique, presenting with a wide throat, the petals are narrowly ovate, apically obtuse. Epidendrum porpax Rchb.f. from Mesoamerica, has arching pendant stems, the leaves always facing one side, somewhat like in Dichaea, and the lip is bilobed, cordate at the base and emarginate at the apex, the petals are narrowly oblong, obtuse, the margin crenate-denticulate towards the apex." Hagsater etal 2013
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidaceaerum 14 Plate 1403 Hagsater 2013 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1615 Hagsater & Santiago 2018 See Recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1633 Hagsater & Santiago 2018 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1640 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1643 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1682 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1771 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 see recognition section
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