Epidendrum bothryanthum M.R.Miranda, F.J.de Jesus, Chiron & Hágsater 2015 GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Incomptum
Photo by M. Rodrigues M. & F. J. de Jesus/Drawing by Chiron and The AMO Herbaria Website
Common Name The Small Bunch of Grapes Epidendrum [refers to the inflorescence shape]
Flower Size .5” [1.25 cm]
Found in Sao Paulo state of Brazil in dense shady forests at elevations around 280 meters as a medium sized, warm growing epiphyte with terete, newly arising from the subapical node of the previous stem, below the leaves, thick, fleshy stems carrying 3, towards the apex, spreading, similar in size, subcoriaceous, alternate, articulate, narrowly elliptic, acute, entire margined leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, pendent, peduncle laterally compressed, provided with a long, narrow, conduplicate nearly basal bract, to 1.2" [3 cm] long overall, shorter than the apical leaf, simultaneously to 15 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, triangular, acuminate, amplexicaul, dorsally tinged with purple floral bracts and carrying non fragrant flowers with the tepals green tinged with black purple, the lip and column blackish purple and the disc and calli on the lip are yellowish.
"Epidendrum bothryanthum belongs to the GROUP Arbusculum which is characterized by the erect habit with successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, roots generally only from the base of the primordial stem, and the 2015 SUBGROUP Incomptum which has a short apical inflorescence with fleshy yellowish to green to violet-green to black flowers with short ovaries, the lip entire to 3-lobed, and the Proligerum Complex, which has the ovary inflated, forming a vesicle behind the perianth. The species is recognized by the small flowers, sepals .2 to .24" [5 to 6 mm] long, the flowers green tinged with blackish purple, and a slightly 3-lobed lip, basally cuneate, the mid-lobe emarginate, bicallose, ovary inflated forming a vesicle behind the perianth. Epidendrum veltenianum Campacci (2007) from Espírito Santo state of Brazil, has shorter, more compact plants, somewhat larger green flowers, the apex of the column purple, sepals ca. .4" [10 mm] long, the lip .28 x .32" [7 x 8 mm], lateral lobes semi-orbicular, the ovary only slightly inflated behind the perianth. Epidendrum ochrochlorum Barb.Rodr. is green and has larger flowers, sepals .56 to .6" [14 to 15 mm] long, acute, the lip is very similar in shape, the base cordate, with the mid-lobe of the lip emarginate and thus bilobed, but the sides of the lip are obliquely revolute, so that in natural position it looks triangular. Epidendrum proligerum Barb.Rodr. is also larger, with yellowish green flowers, sepals .48 to .52" [12 to 13 mm] long, has the mid-lobe of the lip entire, not emarginate, with the base of the lip cuneate. Epidendrum jamaicense Lindl. the successive flowers with a prominent ventral nectary which inflates the ovary over two-thirds its length, .4 to .6" [10 to 15 mm] long sepals, acute petals, a reniform, bicallose lip, and a straight thin column, with the enormous stigmatic cavity which occupies the whole length of the column." Hagsater etal 2015
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] plate 1506 M.R.Miranda, F.J.de Jesus, Chiron & Hágsater 2015 drawing fide;
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