Epidendrum carolii Schltr. 1923 GROUP Carloii Type for the group
Photo by © Julio Cesar Orantes
Photo by © Joe Linger
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Common Name Carol's Epidendrum [Alsatian horticulturist Karl Werckle later 1800's early 1900's]
Flower Size 3/8" [1.75 cm]
Found in Jalisco and Oaxaca states of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama in open, wet, montane oak forests at elevations of 500 to 1700 meters as a small sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with clumped, terete stems enveloped by a few, acuminate, scarious sheaths and carrying 2+ , apical, narrowly elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, coriaceous, basally clasping leaves and blooms in the later spring through mid fall on a simple, racemose [rarely branched], 8"+ [20 cm+] long, slender, few to several flowered inflorescence arising on a mature cane and carrying small, resupinate, slightly scented flowers.
Recognized by its small plant with simple stems carrying 2 to 3, ovate to narrowly elliptic, arcuate leaves that bloom with small, succulent, brownish green to coffee yellow flowers with a yellow lip.
"Epidendrum carolii is the type for GROUP Carloii characterized by the caespitose habit, short, unbranched, laterally compressed stems carrying thick, coriaceous, leaves and has a long, rat-tail-like, arching, nutant with basal long bracts and carrying many successively opening flowers. This species is recognized by the small plants, 5.2 to 14" [13 to 35 cm] tall, with simple stems 1.2 to 3.6" [3 to 9 cm] high, the 2 to 3 ovate to narrowly elliptic leaves, arcuate, several to many flowered inflorescence, and small, succulent flowers with greenish-brown to orange-brown sepals and petals and yellow lip. Its closest relative is E laucheanum and both have the same habit and flower structure but it is a much larger plant, with long, acuminate leaves." Hagsater etal 1990
Also similar to Epidendrum probiflorum Schltr. with similarily shorter plants to 13.2" [33 cm] tall, oblong-lanceolate to ovate lanceolate, acute leaves 1.36 to 2.4" [3.4 to 6 cm] long, a generally paniculate, erect inflorescence with up to 60, purple-brown to creamy-peach colored flowers, the lip white and the apex of the column ending in a pair of teeth." Plate 1346 Hagsater etal 2010
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 35. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 117. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; The Orchids of Panama L.O. Williams & P Allen 1946; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956; Las Orquedias De El Salvador Vol 1 Hamer 1974 drawing fide; Las Orquedias de El Salvador Vol 3 Hamer 1981 drawing fide; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 1018 Dodson 1984 drawing fide; Selbyana Vol 10 Orchids of Central America Hamer 1988 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum I Plate 27 Hagsater and Salazar 1990 drawing fide; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Manual Of Orchids Stewart 1995; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 722 Hagsater & Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1164 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 13 Plate 1312 Hagsater & Sanchez 2010 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1346 Hagsater 2010 see recognition section; Algunas Orquideas de Mexico Tomo 1 Suarez 2013 photo fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018
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