Epidendrum chartacifolium Hágsater & Sánchez Sald. 2016 GROUP Nocturnum
TYPE Photo by © M. Rincón-González/ TYPE Drawing by © Jimenenz and The AMO Herbaria Website
Common Name The Papery Leaf Epidendrum [refers to this species leaf appearance which is papery instead of leathery as in others in this group]
Flower Size 2.4" [5 cm]
Found in the Guaviare department of Colombia in the Llanos Orientales in the Amazon Basin in savannahs on granite at elevations of 270 to 290 meters as a medium sized, hot growing lithophyte with cane-like, simple, laterally compressed, straight, green stems carrying 9 to 12, all along the stem, erect, chartaceous, laterally compressed, unequal, progressively larger towards the base, ovate-elliptic,, unequally bilobed, minutely mucronate, venation and dorsal keel evident, green leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on a terminal, racemose, eventually pluriracemose, peduncle .16 to .2" [4 to 5 mm] long, reduced, enveloped completely by a triangular, acute bract, rachis .28 to .32" [7 to 8 mm] long, successively single, several years on the same stem, several to many flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acuminate, clasping floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers with greenish tepals, a white lip that is greenish towards the apex, a white column that is greenish towrds the base and yellow calli with the frgrance not recorded.
"Epidendrum chartacifolium belongs to the GROUP Nocturnum which is characterized by the sympodial, caespitose plants, cane-like, non-fusiform stems, successive flowers on a short, racemose or pluri-racemose inflorescence, without spathaceous bracts, and large, star-shaped flowers, with similar sepals and petals; the flowers are mostly indistinguishable in shape. The species is recognized by the green, laterally compressed stems, with 9 to 12 papery, green leaves distributed throughout the stem, progressively longer towards the base of the stem, ovate-elliptic, 3 times longer than wide, 2.6 to 4.4 x .8 to 1.32" [6.5 to 11.0 x 2.0 to 3.3 cm], ovary 1.8 to 2.28" [45 to 57 mm] long, sepals .18 to .19" [45 to 47 mm] long, mid-lobe of the lip 1.12 x .56" [28 x 1.4 mm], column .66" [16.5 mm] long. Epidendrum tridens has dark green plants with the underside of the leaves and leaf-sheaths purple, stems with 4 to 8, coriaceous, erect leaves, length:width = 3:1-5:1 3.4 to 6" x .8 to 2" [8.5 to 15 x 2 to 5 cm], distributed along the apical ¾ of the stem, flowers larger, ovary 2.4 to 4.8" [60 to 120 mm] long, sepals 1.68 to 2.9" [42 to 73 mm] long, mid-lobe of the lip .8 to 1.48" [20 to 37 mm] long, column .84 to 1" [21 to 25 mm]. Epidendrum nocturnum Jacq. is widely distributed from Florida to Bolivia and has green plants, terete stems, coriaceous leaves distributed along the apical 2/3 of the stem, ovary 2 to 3.2" [50 to 80 mm] long, sepals 1.4 to 3" [35 to 75 mm] long, and the midlobe of the lip .8 to 1.84" [20 to 46 mm] long. Epidendrum tumuc-humaciense (Veyret) Carnevali & G.A.Romero is endemic to the Guyana Shield and the northern Amazon basin in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guyana and northern Brazil; its plants are wine-red or yellowish green, with numerous short and narrow leaves 1.2 to 3.68 x .48 to 1.12" [3 to 9.2 x 1.2 to 2.8 cm], distributed throughout the stems, those towards the base of the stem larger, sepals and petals 1.92 to 3.28" [48 to 81 mm] long, ovary generally 3.2 to 4" [80 to 100 mm] long, column .76 to 1.08" [19 to 27 mm] long, straight to arching downwards. Epidendrum carpophorum Barb.Rodr. is found along the Atlantic slope of Venezuela, Guyana and SE Brazil, has fewer leaves (4 to 6), coriaceous, distributed along the apical half of the stem, olive green, the underside purple, leaves wider, 1 to 2,4" [2.5 to 6.0 mm] wide." Hagsater etal 2016
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 15 [2] Plate 1576 Hágsater & Sanchez Sald. 2016 Drawing/photo fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo fide;
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