Epidendrum chingazaense Hágsater, E.Santiago & Uribe Vélez 2016 GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum
TYPE Photo by © E Santiago TYPE Drawing by © L Rodriguez and The AMO Herbaria Website
Common Name The Chingaza Epidendrum [A mountain near Bogota Colombia]
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in the department of Meta Colombia in wet cloud forests at elevations around 3220 meters as a giant sized, cold growing terrestrial with branching above, cane-like, terete, erect, straight stems carrying numerous, all along the main stem, in the upper 2/3's of the branches, articulate, alternate, sub-coriaceous, unequal in size, those on the branches smaller, lustrous above, glacous beneath leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, erect, racemose, occuring only once, peduncle very short, terete, erect, straight, rachis to 6.4" [16 cm] long, terete, straight, helicoid, laxly, simultaneously to 20 flowered inflorescence with slightly longer than to half the size the ovary, widely ovate, shortly acuminate, clasping, margin denticulate floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, very fleshy, sweeetly fragrant flowers that are concolor yellow to slightly tinged brown.
"Epidendrum chingazaënse belongs to the GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum , which is characterized by the monopodial plants with sub-apical branching, rugose leaf sheaths, racemose inflorescence, and fleshy flowers with a simple, conduplicate lip embracing the column, and the nectary pubescent to papillose in front of the stigmatic cavity. The species is recognized by the large plants, to 120" [3 meters] tall, the inflorescence of .64" [16 cm] in length, helicoid, lax-flowered, the flowers yellow, generally concolor and very fragrant, large, sepals convex [.72 x .46" [18 x 11.5] mm, petals obliquely elliptic, wide, oblique, .62 x .22 to .28" [15.5 x 5.5 to 7 mm, lip .48 x .52" [12 x 13 mm], deltate, the base truncate, and the floral bracts .56 to .6" x .36" [14 to 15 x 9 mm], widely ovate with the margin denticulate; the 4 grooves in the disc of the lip are quite unique and we have not seen them in other species. Epidendrum stenobractistachyum is vegetatively very similar but the flowers are yellow with the column tinged purple, somewhat smaller, sepals .56 to .6" x .228" to .268" [14-15 x 5.7-6.7 mm], petals oblong, .52 x 1.12" [13 x 2.8 mm], the lip .36 x .412" [9 x 10.3 mm], and the floral bracts .32 to .72" x .16 to .24" [8-18 x 4-6 mm]; narrowly oblong to lanceolate-triangular. Epidendrum humeadorense Hágsater & Dodson has shorter inflorescences, to .52" [13 cm] long, few-flowered, rachis sinuous, the flowers lime-green colored, with the column apple-green, sepals .6 to .68 x .26 to .32" [15 to 17 x 6.5 to 8.0 mm], petals oblanceolate, .48 x .16" [13 x 4 mm], and the bracts cymbiform, .4 to .52" x .4 to .64" [10 to 13 x 10 to 14 mm], shorter than the ovary. Epidendrum obovatipetalum Hágsater & Dodson is endemic to Ecuador, and very densely flowered inflorescences to 5.2" [13 cm] long, flowers white tinged purple, sepals .6 x .32 to .36" [15 x 8 to 9 mm], petals oblanceolate, .6 x .2" [15 x 5 mm], and floral bracts cymbiform, .56 x .8" [14 x 20 mm], much longer than the ovary." Hagsater etal 2016
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 15 [2] Plate 1577 Hágsater, E.Santiago & Uribe Vélez 2016 Drawing/photo fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 drawing/photo fide;
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