Epidendrum buchtienii Schltr. GROUP Ventricosum

Drawing by © Dodson and the The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Common Name Buchtien's Epidendrum [German Orchid Collector in both Central and South America late 1800's earlier 1900's]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in La Paz Bolivia in montane cloud forests at elevations around 1800 meters as a small sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect, flattened stems enveloped by foliar sheaths and carrying towards the apex of the stem, distichous, reddish nerved, conduplicate basally clasping, linear-ovate, acute leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, pendent, racemose, 1.6" [ 4 cm] long including short, filiform peduncle, successively 1 to 2, few flowered inflorescence arising through a prominent, flattened spathe and carrying greenish flowers with reddish venation in the sepals.

E. buchtienii Schltr. is part of GROUP Ventricosum characterized by the sympodial habit, the few leaved stem the prominent spathaceous bract and the resupinate flowers, mostly bright purple with a wide, smooth nectary that does not penetrate the ovary The species is similar to Epidendrum leimebambense but it differs in the scandent habit and the cordiform lip with entire margins.

Synonyms

ReferencesW3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 10: 69 Schlechter 1922; Icones Plantarum Tropicarum Plate 219 Dodson 1989 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 2 Plate 151 Hagsater & Salazar 1993 see recognition section;

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