Epidendrum brachystelestachyum Hágsater, E.Santiago & Reina-Rodr. 2015 GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum
TYPE Photo by E Pardo/TYPE Drawing by Hagsater & Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
LATER 
Common Name The Short Column Ear Of Corn Epidendrum
Flower Size 1.2” [3 cm]
Found in Colombia and Ecuador on the eastern slope of the Andes at elevations around 2700 to 3400 meters as a large sized, cold growing lithophyte or terrestrial with a branching, in maturity, cane-like, terete, erect stems carrying numerous on the primary stem, 7 to 10 on the branches, all along the stems, articulate, alternate, partly spreading, unequal in size, larger on the primary stems, lanceolate-elliptic, obtuse, margin entire, slightly revolute leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, without a spathe, racemose, rarely paniculate, occuring only once, peduncle, 1.2" [3cm] long, terete, erect, straight, with a single median bracts, prominent similar to the leaves, rachis to 5 to 11.2" [12.5 to 28 cm] long, terete, to 12.4" [31 cm] long overall, 6" [15 cm] long overall on the branches, pyramidial, sub-dense, [8.8 to 13.2" 22 to 33 flowered inflorescence with prominent, slightly longer than the ovary, gradually smaller in size towards the apex, triangular, acute, embracing floral bracts and carrying successively [half open at a time] opening, non-resupinate, fleshy flowers that are black except for the lip which is olive green aand the column that is tinged purple.
"Epidendrum brachystelestachyum belongs to the GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum , which is characterized by the monopodial plants with sub-apical branching, rugose leaf sheaths, large leaves generally spreading, racemose, erect inflorescence, and fleshy flowers generally green to black (ripe olive colored), as well as yellow to pink to purple, with an entire, conduplicate, generally ecallose and pubescent lip embracing the column, and the nectary pubescent to papillose in front of the stigmatic cavity and at least at the base of the lip. The species is recognized by the elongate, laxly many flowered inflorescence, up to 12.4" [31 cm] long, flowers black with lip olive-green, sepals .4" [10 mm] long, petals linear-triangular, apex sub-acute, lip triangular with the base truncate, ecallose, the column short and thick throughout, anther ovoid, apex rounded. Epidendrum macrostachyum Lindl. is vegetatively very similar, as is the color of the flowers, but the petals are linear-oblong, with the apex sub-obtuse, the lip widely cordiform, base cordate, bicallose, with a low rib in the disc, column is thin, and the anther obtuse at the apex. Epidendrum munchiquense Hágsater, E.Santiago & García-Revelo has a similar inflorescence, but the flowers are orange to wine-red, with the ventral surface of the tepals grayish green, sepals .56 to .72" [14¿ to 18 mm] long, and the petals oblong, acute." Hagsater etal 2015
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] plate 1509 Hagsater 2015 drawing fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo fide;
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