Epidendrum aylacotoglossum Hágsater 2004 GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Incomptum

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

Common Name The Grooved Tongue Epidendrum

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Colombia at elevations around 1800 meters as a small sized, cool growing terrestrial with simple, cane-like, terete, straight, each new growth produced from the middle internode of the previous growth stems carrying 3, towards the apex, unequal, narrowly elliptic, acute, marginally entire, smooth leaves that blooms in the late spring on a terminal, occuring only once, racemose, laterally compressed, ancipitose, arching, nutant, dense, to 20 flowered inflorescence carrying simultaneously opening, resupinate, yellow flowers.

"Epidendrum aylacotoglossum belongs to the GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Incomptum, which is recognized by the stems produced from the middle of the previous stem, wlth few leaves aggregate near the apex, the racemose inflorescence and the fleshy, usually green to black flowers. The species is recognized by the yellow flowers, the ancipitose peduncle of the inflorescence, prominently dorsally keeled lateral sepals, narrowly oblanceolate petals and the 3-lobed lip, the basal lobes orbicular deeply cordate, the apical lobe short, wide, emarginate, forming two obliquely semiovate lobes and the wide channel running down the middle of the lip with a short, narrow keel in between the inconspicuous calli, and the sigmoid column. The relationships of this species are not clear, the vegetative structure appears to be that of successive lateral sympodial growths, and the ancipitose peduncle of the inflorescence are reminiscent of the plant illustrated by Dunsterville and Garay as Epidendrum curtisii Hawkes in the IlIustrated Field Cuide of Orchids of Venezuela pg. 218. However, the channeled lip, is more like that of Epidendrum renilabium Schltr. or E. renilabioides Hágsater & Dodson, though neither runs down the full length of the lip and both, however, have a monopodial growth pattern, with short branches and bilobed, subcoriaceous leaves and wide petals. The sigmoid, upturned apex of the column of the new species is unique." Hagsater etal 2004

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 710 Hagsater & Sanchez 2004 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1452 Hagsater & Sanchez 2013 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1860 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section

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