Epidendrum condornocturnum Hágsater & Tobar 2018 GROUP Nocturnum
Photo by Eric Hagsater/TYPE drawing by R. Jiménez M. © courtesy of Eric Hagsater and Icones Orchidacearum 16(1): t. 1613 Hagsater etal 2018
Common Name The Cordillera Condor E Nocturmum Epidendrum
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in Zamora-Chinchipe province of Ecuador on the Cordillera Condor in wet tropical forest including Ficus sp., at elevations of 1400 to 1630 meters as a small to medium sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect, straight, laterally compressed, strongly ancipitose stems carrying 3 to 5, alternate, basal sheath tubular, laterally compressed, ancipitose, progressively wider towards the apex of the stem, minutely striated, green, blade elliptic, apex unequally bilobed, light green concolor leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, without a spathe, sessile, racemose, very short, nearly totally hidden within the base of the apical leaf, successively single, few flowered inflorescence with triangular, embracing, much shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying large, sweetly nocturnally fragrant flowers with sepals and petals light green inside, dorsally tinged purple-brown, column and lip white, with white calli.
"Epidendrum condornocturnum belongs to the GROUP Nocturnum which is characterized by the sympodial, caespitose plants, cane-like stems, short, racemose or pluri-racemose inflorescence, without spathaceous bracts, usually large, star-shaped, successive flowers, with similar sepals and petals. The species is recognized by the epiphytic habit, stems laterally compressed, ancipitose towards the apex, the light green leaves, and the very long, narrow sepals 2.8 to 3.48" x .24 to .28" [70 to 87 x 6- to 7 mm] and petals 2.68 to 3.48" x .12 to .16" [67 to 87 x 3 to 4 mm], ovary 2.8 to 3.6" [70 to 90 mm] long. Epidendrum tridens is lithophytic, has dark green leaves, with the underside purple, ovary is 2.4 to 4" [60 to 100 mm] long, sepals 1.68 to 3" x .2 to .32{" [42 to 75 x 5 to 8 mm]; petals .1 to .12" [2.5 to 3.0 mm] wide, linear-lanceolate. Epidendrum nocturnum Jacq. is widely distributed from Florida to Bolivia, has terete stems, ovary 2 to 2.8" [50 to 70 mm] long, about as long as the sepals which are 1.4 to 3" [35 to 75 mm] long, petals free from the column and narrower, 1.6 to 2.4 x .08 to .12" [40 to 60 x 2 to 3 mm], column .6 to .8" [15 to 20 mm] long, body of capsule occupying nearly the full length, centered. Epidendrum ramiro-medinae Hágsater & L.Sánchez has deep green leaves, the underside tinged purple, slightly larger flowers, sepals 3.6 to 4" x .32 to .36" [90 to 100 x 8 to 9 mm], petals 3.8 x .12" [95 x 3 mm], ovary 3 to 3.28" [75 to 78 mm] long, and a shorter column, .52" [13 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
ReferencesW3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16(1): t. 1613 Hagsater etal 2018 drawing/photo fide;
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