Epidendrum chlorops Rchb. f. GROUP Anceps SUBGROUP Polyanthum
An atypical form??? divergent 3 callus
Photos by © Patricia Harding
TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
to
EARLY
THROUGH MID
Common Name The Green Epidendrum
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Mexico, Guerrero and Oaxaca states of Mexico on the Pacific slopes at elevations of 350 to 1700 meters as a small to large sized, hot to cool growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, terete to somewhat laterally compressed, straight stems carrying 6 to 15, distichous, throughout the apical 2/3's of the stem, coriaceous, elliptical to ovate, entire marginally, spreading leaves that blooms in the early spring through mid winter on a terminal, erect, pluri-racemose, dense, terete, smooth, 3" [7.5 cm] long, 15 to 30 flowered inflorescence enveloped by 2 to 5 imbricating, tubular, oblong-triangular, acute to acuminate bracts and shorter than the ovary, progressively shorter apically, ovate-triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying simultaneously opening, resupinate flowers that yellow with age.
This species can continue to produce new racemes over several years from the nodes of the primary inflorescence.
Said to be a synonym of Epidendrum clowesii Bateman ex Lindl. 1844 but it has laterally compressed stems, smaller, olive green flowers sometimes tinged with brown, a greenish white lip without thickened veins, the sepals and the lateral lobes of the lip without thickened veins.
"Epidendrum chlorops belongs to the GROUP Anceps , which is recognized by the simple stems, generally elongate, compound racemose inflorescence producing new successive racemes with time, fleshy flowers, filiform to narrowly spatulate petals, and the SUBGROUP Polyanthum which has elongate, not sub-corymbose racemes. The species is recognized by the terete, somewhat laterally compressed stems, green to ochre green-flowers turning yellowish with age, smooth ovary, 3-veined petals, 3-lobed lip, the lateral lobes sub-orbicular- elliptic, entire with evident basal thickened veins, the mid-lobe oblong-rectangular, slit. Epidendrum clowesii Bateman ex Lindley, which grows along the Pacific slope of southern in Oaxaca and Chiapas states of Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, has laterally compressed stems, smaller, olive-green flowers, sometimes tinged with brown, the lip greenish white without thickened veins, the sepals .32 to .6" [8 to 9 mm] long and the lateral lobes of the lip without thickened veins. Epidendrum motozintlensis Hágsater & L.Sánchez, endemic of Chiapas state of México, has laterally compressed stems, small green flowers with a greenish-white lip, .272 to .312" [6.8 to 7.8 mm] long sepals, filiform petals, and a short, transversely rectangular mid-lobe of the lip with a shallow apical sinus. Epidendrum polyanthum Lindley, from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras has larger, orange-yellow flowers with sepals .32 to .4" [8 to 10 mm] long, the lateral lobes of the lip semi-ovate, with a small sinus in the margin, and the mid-lobe oblong-quadrate, with the apex emarginate." Hagsater etal 2010
Synonyms Epidendrum simile Schltr. 1918
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956; Orchids of Mexico Hagsater, Soto, Salazar, Jimenez, Lopez and Dressler 2005; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 990 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1146 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1209 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1316 Hagsater 2010 drawing ok; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1321 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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