Epidendrum amphistomum A. Rich. 1850 GROUP Anceps SUBGROUP Anceps
Photo by © Greg Allikas.
Photo by © Stephen Jones.
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Common Name The Surrounded Mouth Epidendrum - Dingy Flowered Star Orchid - Dingy-Flowered Epidendrum
Flower Size 1/2" [6 cm]
Found in Florida USA, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti as a medium to large sized, caespitose, warm to cold growing epiphyte or occasional lithophyte occuring in cypress swamps at altitudes up to 500 meters, with erect, ancipitous stems enveloped basally by a few scarious sheaths and carrying several to many, lanceolate, basally clasping leaves that graduate in size from the base and blooms in the spring on an apical, 9" [22.5 cm] long, terminal, subumbellate, racemose inflorescence that is covered with several scarious, imbricate, acuminate sheaths and carries many, small, fragrant [old stale straw], flowers clustered at the apex and blooms repeatedly from the old inflorescence over a few years.
"Epidendrum amphistomum A.Rich. is part of GROUP Anceps SUBGROUP Anceps characterized by the simple stems giving rise to a generally elongate, compound racemose inflorescence producing new successive racemes over time and carrying fleshy flowers with filiform to narrowly spatulate petals. The species is found in the United States (Florida), Cuba and Hispaniola has larger flowers with sepals .22 to .3" [5.5. to 7.5 mm] long, greenish yellow to red-brown flowers and the lip bilobed. It has often been misidentified as Epidendrum anceps Jacq. which is widely distributed in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Antilles as well as Surinam and French Guiana, and has larger, wider leaves, 2 to 6" x 1.2 to 2" [5 to 15 x 3 to 5 cm], the flowers are smaller, sepals .14 to .344" [3.5 to 8.6 mm] long, and generally green, rarely tinted brown. Epidendrum galeottianum A. Rich. & Galeotti ranges from Mexico to central Nicaragua, and has large plants, 10 to 40" [25 to 100 cm] tall, larger leaves, 1.8 to 9.2" [4.5 to 23 cm] long and purple tinged, the flowers are sometimes larger, sepals .2 to .32" [5 to 8 mm] long, greenish brown, the apex of the column and the lip purple." Adapted from Plate 1147 Hagsater etal 2008
Synonyms Epidendrum amphistomum f. rubrifolium P.M.Br. 2000
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 44 #8 1975 as E anceps; The Native Orchids of Florida Luer 1972 as E anceps Photos/drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 #5 1999 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 #12 2001 as E amphistoma fma rubrifolia; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2002 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1101 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 see recognition Section; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1147 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Orchid Digest Vol 74 #2 2010 photo fide; Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles Ackerman 2014; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #11 2016 photo fide;
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