Epidendrum brachyrhodochilum Hágsater & E.Santiago 2015 GROUP Megalospathum SUBGROUP Megalospathum
TYPE Photo by R Medina/TYPE Drawing by Hagsater & Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
LATER 
THROUGH MID
Common Name The Short E rhodochilum Epidendrum
Flower Size 1.2” [3 cm]
Found in western Venezuela and Colombia on the Cordillera Central of the Andes at elevations around 1950 to 3000 meters as a mini-miniature to miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with a pendent, simple, cane-like, laterally compressed, straight branching from the base stems carrying 5 to 9, all along the stem, distichous, alternate, succulent, articulate, ovate, tridentate, middle aristate, apical margin somewhat erose leaves that blooms in the later spring through mid fall on a terminal, erect, ocurring only once, arising through a condulicate, wide, semi-orbicular, oblique spathe, pendent, peduncle enveloped completely by the spathe, 1.6 to 1.84" [4 to 4.6 cm] long, simultaneously 4 to 5 flowered inflorescence with small, much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acute clasping floral bracts and carrying resupinate, greenish, non-fragrant flowers with ovary and dorsal surface of the sepals minutely dotted with reddish dots and the lip is a deep burgundy red except for the greenish ribs on the disc.
"Epidendrum brachyrhodochilum belongs to the GROUP Megalospathum characterized by the caespitose but branching habit, many-leaved stem, fleshy, oblique leaves, a short, few flowered raceme subtended by large semi-ovate spathaceous bracts, resupinate flowers, the column more or less united to the lip; the SUBGROUP Megalospathum has the calli substituted by long, low rib. The species is recognized by is short plants 3 to 5.2" [7.5 to 13 cm] long, sepals elliptic, .44 to .48" [11 to 12 mm] long, lip with 3 parallel ribs all the same size and length, the lateral pair bifurcate at the base and thus appearing as 5 ribs, the lateral ribs very short, divergent, column widened towards the apex, peduncle and rachis of the inflorescence totally hidden within the spathes. Epidendrum rhodochilum (Schltr.) Hágsater & Dodson has longer plants 6 to 9.6" [15 to 24 cm] long, sepals ovate-oblong, .6 to .68" [15 to 17 mm] long, the lip with three low, narrow ribs in place of the calli, the disc minutely pubescent. Epidendrum megalospathum Rchb. f., which is found sympatric with the new species, has a more elongate inflorescence, sepals oblong to oblong-elliptic, .6 to .72" [15 to 18 mm] long, petals lanceolate, acute, the lip ovate, base cuneate, with two lower ribs in the middle forming a “V” shaped structure, and then minutely papillose. The flowers of this small group of species are somewhat similar to E. arevaloi (Schltr.) Hágsater, though the plant habit of the latter species is typical of GROUP Diothonea." Hagsater etal 2015
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] plate 1508 Hagsater 2015 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1539 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1555 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo good;
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