Epidendrum carchiense Hágsater & Dodson 1993 GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Incomptum
Photo by © Alejandro Romero Medina and his Flickr Orchid Photo Website
TYPE Drawing by © M Lopez R and The AMO Herbaria Website
Not E carchiense Flower Closeup
Photos by © Eric Hunt
Common Name The Carchi Epidendrum [A state in Ecuador near Colombia in the north]
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found in Colombia and Ecuador on trees at elevations of 1300 to 2800 meters as a medium sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with successive forming stems arising from the middle internode of the previous, straight, reed-like stem and enveloped below the leaves by old, leaf-bearing, tubular, inflated sheaths and carrying towards the apex, a few, elliptic, acute, basally clasping leaves and blooms in the fall on a terminal, racemose, arcuate, short inflorescence carrying a few, simultaneous, resupinate flowers.
CAUTION I am not sure if any of the photos are the real E carchiense but I am still researching what they may be. The type drawing is absolutely correct. The first photo appears to be correct until one looks at the profile of the lip. WRONG!
"Epidendrum carchiense is part of GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Incomptum characterized by the successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, a short apical inflorescence with fleshy greenish to violet-green flowers with short ovaries, the lip entire to 3-lobed. The species is recognized by the successive stems, each produced from a middle internode of the previous stem, the short, 6 to 7 flowered raceme and the membranaceous, olive green flowers with 3-lobed lip which is somewhat cordate at the base, without calli or keels and with the midlobe trapezoid, half as long as wide, apiculate, and the obsolete clinandrium. Epidendrum yambalense Hágsater & Dodson is very similar but has the midlobe of the lip as long as wide, the lip with branching, low keels and a pair of basal calli, and the clinandrium forms an obconical cavity. Epidendrum morganii Dodson & Garay is also related, but it has a cordiform lip. Epidendrum lechleri Rchb. f. has a reniform lip and wider petals." Hagsater etal 1993
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 2 The Genus Epidendrum Part 1 Plate 119 Hagsater 1993 drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 5 COS 1994 photo soso; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 2 Dodson 2001 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 844 Hagsater 2006; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 927 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1568 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 as E aff carchiense photo fide to not carchiense; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1784 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section;
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