Epidendrum chrysomyristicum Hágsater & E. Santiago A. 2004 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae
TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
Collection sheet by The Field Museum and Their Muestras Neotropicales de Herbario
and
Common Name The Bright Yellow Fragrant Flowered Epidendrum
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in Peru and Bolivia on the eastern slopes of the Andes in elfin cloud forests at elevations of 2900 to 3600 meters as a giant sized, cold growing lithophyte or epiphyte with profuse branches apically, erect, cane-like, terete, the main slightly flexuous stems carrying numerous on the main stem, 2 to 4 on the branches, throughout the stem, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, subparellel, subacute, coriaceous, margin entire leaves of varying sizes on each stem that blooms at any time of the year on a terminal, racemose, occuring only once, arching-nutant, terete, thin, short, .6 to 1" [1.5 to 2.5 cm] long, including the .12 to .16" [3 to 4 mm] long peduncle, 7 flowered inflorescence carrying simultaneously opening, very fragrant bright golden yellow to slightly reddish flowers.
" Epidendrum chrysomyristicum belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae which is characterized by the branching habit starting on a primary stem, infundibuliform, rugose leaf-sheaths, lanceolate, aristate, acute leaves, racemose subcapitate inflorescence on a short, thin pedunde, and the bicallose lip. The species can be recognized by the very tall, shrub-like habit, on a robust main stem which has leaves considerably larger than those of the branches, the golden yellow, very fragrant flowers, and the 3-lobed lip with a "T" shaped midlobe with a wide apicule. It resembles Epidendrum fruticulum Schltr. which also has a deeply, 3-lobed lip, with the midlobe rectangular, twice as long as it is wide and bilobed at the apex, but narrow, and .24 to .36" [6 to 9 mm] long sepals and petals, the leaves of the branches are elliptic and rounded. Epidendrum angustissimum Lindl. (syn . Epidendrum chortophyllum Schltr.) has very narrow, linear-lanceolate leaves, the new stem produced from an upper internode of the previous one, and the lip 3-lobed, the lobes about equal in size and margins erase. Epidendrum soratae Rchb.f. has a reniform, apically somewhat 3-lobed, bicallose lip, and .24 to .28" [6 to 7 mm] long sepals. Epidendrum obliquum Schltr. has a reniform, emarginate lip .16 x .32" [4 x 8 mm] in slze and a straight column and uninflated nectary. Epidendrum cardenasii Hágsater has larger flowers, .48 to .52" [12 to 13 mm] long sepals, the lip bilobed, widely emarginate and about as long as it is wide, the base shortly cordate and the calli laminar and divaricate. Epidendrum cartilaginiflorum Rchb. f. has a cordiform, somewhat 3-lobed-lip, apex obtuse, raunded, and the sepals are .6" [15 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2004
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 723 Hagsater & Salazar 2004 drawing ok; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 8 Plate 900 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1211 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1248 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1475 Hagsater & Sanchez 2013 see recognition section;
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