Epidendrum brachyanthum Hágsater & Dodson 2004 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae

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

Part shade Cold EARLIERSpring EARLYFall

Common Name The Small Flowered Epidendrum

Flower Size .3" [8 mm]

Found in central Ecuador in the upper slopes of the Pacific slopes in montane forests at elevations around 3000 to 3500 meters as a mini-miniature to small sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, erect, terete, thin stems producing new stems from an apical internode of the previous stem and carrying 7, on the basal stem, 2 to 3 on the upper stems, subcoriaceous, all along the upper 2/3's of the stem, lanceolate, subacute, dorsally keeled, margin crenate, smooth leaves that blooms in the earlier spring through early fall on a terminal, racemose, arching nutant, terete, thin, very short, occuring only once, straight, many flowered inflorescence with much shorter the ovary, triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying 10 to 14 simultaneously opening, resupinate flowers with yellow sepals, a white lip and the callus light orange.

"Epidendrum brachyanthum belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae which is characterized by the branching habit starting on a monopodial, primary stem, infundibuliform, rugose leaf-sheaths, lanceolate, aristate, acute leaves, racemose subcapitate inflorescence on a short, thin peduncle, and the bicallose lip. The species is recognized by the short plants, small leaves and flowers, the quadrate midlobe of the lip, slightly wider than long and truncate, and the cuneate, rounded petals, with the column only .08" [2 mm] long. Epidendrum tenuicaule has a bushy, branching, habit, short plants, the arching small inflorescence with greenish yellow, simultaneous flowers, the midlobe of the lip about twice as long as it is wide, and the column 2" [5 mm] long. Epidendrum soratae Rchb. f. has a reniform lip with two small lobules at the apex and .24 to .28" [6 to 7 mm] long sepals, the leaves are narrower, .16 to .32" [4 to 8 mm] wide. Epidendrum cartilaginiflorum Rchb. f. has a cordiform lip, apex obtuse, rounded, and the sepals are .6 to .64" [15 to 16 mm] long, Epidendrum bolivianum Schltr. has .52" [13 mm} long, sepals, non-infundibuliform sheaths, the lip is quadrate-reniform in outline. Epidendrum scopulorum Rchb. f. has 4 to 7 flowers, the lip entire, cordiform, sepals .34" to .38" [8.7 to 9.6 mm] long, the column .24 [6 mm] long and ovate-lanceolate leaves." Hagsater etal 2001

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 712 Hagsater & Sanchez 2001 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 807 Hagsater and Sanchez 2006 see recognition section;

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