Epidendrum bilobatum Ames 1924 GROUP Spathiger SUBGROUP Coriifolium

TYPE drawing by © R Jimenez M. and Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1859 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 and the AMO Herbaria Website

LATER

Common Name The 2 Lobed Epidendrum [refers to the clearly 2 lobed lip]

Flower Size 2.4" [6 cm]

Found in Costa Rica and presently known only from two collections at elevations of 970 to 1219 meters on the Caribbean slope of the Cordillera from what is now the dam of Cachí in central Costa Rica, and further east (the altitude indicated in the label of the type is 4000 ft [1219 meters] is closer to the Lankester Garden where the species was cultivated) as a small to medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, erect, terete at base, laterally compressed towards apex stem separated by an evident rhizome 1.6 to 2" [4.0 to 4.5 cm] long, covered by scarious bracts and carrying 4 to 6, all along the apical half of the stem, with tubular, striated sheaths, oblong, apically bilobed, flat, coriaceous, articulate leaves that blooms in the later summer on a terminal, erect, simple, distichous, flowering only once, arising on a mature stem, peduncle short, less tha .4" [1 cm] long, rachis sinuous, 4.8" [12 cm] long overall, successively several, to 7 flowered inflorescence with spreading, conduplicate, widely ovate, persistent on peduncles that have flowered, spaced, falcate inwards, acute apically, longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate flowers with the lip always oriented towards the apex of the rachis, progressively smaller above, flowers pale apple green (becoming yellow as they age) and the fragrance has not been registered.

"Epidendrum bilobatum, belongs to the GROUP Spathiger SUBGROUP Coriifolium, which is characterized by the sympodial growth habit, the distichous, secund inflorescence with large, conduplicate bracts, the fleshy green flowers with narrow petals and the reniform lip. The species has long, oblong leaves 3.6 to 5" x .64 to .8" [9 to 12.5 x 1.4 to 2.0 cm], sepals .48 to .56" [12 to 14 mm] long, and the lip .52 x .6.12" [13 x 15.3 mm], only slightly wider than long. It has been confused with Epidendrum sp. (see Jiménez & Hágsater, 2007 and note below) which is native to the central valleys and the Cordillera de Tilarán and has shorter narrow elliptic leaves 1.2 to 2.88" x .48 to .96" [3.0 to 7.2 x 1.2 to 2.4 cm], 2-3:1, sepals .4 to .76" [10 to 19 mm] long, and the lip .36 to .472 x .6 to .7" [9 to 11.8 x 15 to 17.5 mm], clearly wider than long. The characteristic interspaced floral bracts .32 to .4" [8 to 10 mm] long are reminiscent of Epidendrum caluerorum Hágsater, but that species has shorter stems, 3.2 to 8" [8 to 20 cm] long with 3 to 6 leaves, the peduncle of the inflorescence with 1 to 7 imbricating bracts, the lip subtrapezoid, truncate at the base instead of cordate. Epidendrum belloi Hágsater has a similar number of leaves per stem, but the plants of that species are very large, 18 to 26.4" [45 to 66 cm] tall, the inflorescence has long, triangular bracts and a cordiform lip." Hagsater etal 2021

" NOTE : In their publication of Epidendrum bilobatum, Jiménez & Hágsater (2007), the description is a combination of two species, the species here illustrated and another population of the central Valleys of Costa Rica and the Cordillera de Tilarán, which will be published elsewhere, and treated above as Epidendrum sp. The illustration provided there (Tilarán, Hágsater 7094, AMO!) corresponds to that undescribed species; the list of specimens in the Appendix, page III, correspond to that species

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Schedul. Orchid. 7: 3. 1924; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1430 Atwood 1992 drawing fide; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 1522 Atwood 1993 see notes; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1859 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 drawing/photo fide

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