Epidendrum amplexirisaraldense Hágsater & E.Santiago 2013 GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Amplexicaule

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

EARLIER

Common Name The Risaralda Embracing Epidendrum [refers to the similarity of this orchid to E amplexicaule and the location [Risaralda] where the species occurs]

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Risaralda department of Colombia in wet montane forests at elevations around 2890 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with cane-like, terete, straight stems enveloped basally by non-foliaceous sheaths and carrying 5, all along the apical half of the stem, spreading, unequal, basal smaller, larger above, elliptic, shortly acuminate, basally clasping leaves that blooms in the earlier winter on a terminal, occuring only once, flexuous, paniculate, 2 to 3 short branched, each branch few flowered, 20 to 30 flowered inflorescence overall and with much shorter than the ovary, prominent, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, amplexicaule floral bracts.

"Epidendrum amplexirisaraldense belongs to the GROUP Arbuscula which is characterized by the erect plants where the new stems originate from the apical internodes of the previous stem, and the SUBGROUP Amplexicaule which has short-acuminate leaves and lax, few-flowered, paniculate inflorescences with prominent floral bracts. The species is recognized by the lax, greenish flowers distributed along the flexuous rachis, the ovary does not form a vesicle, the cuneate base of the lip and the obliquely oblong lateral lobes of the lip. Epidendrum alexii Hágsater & Dodson is vegetatively similar but the flowers are white, the rachis straight, the ovary forms a minute vesicle just behind the perianth, the base of the lip is slightly cordate with the lateral lobes triangular-dolabriform and the margin erose. Epidendrum amplexicaule Lindl. has the flowers aggregate towards the apex of the rachis, a truncate base of the lip, sub-quadrate lateral lobes of the lip with the margin dentate and strongly divaricate with respect to the mid-lobe which is ob-deltate with the apex truncate." Hagsater etal 2013

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidaceaerum 14 Plate 1406 Hagsater 2013 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1492 Hagsater & Santiago 2013 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [2] Plate 1593 Hagsater & Sanchez 2016 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1637 Hagsater 2018 See recognition section

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