Epidendrum conopseum R. Br. 1813GROUP Conopseum SUBGROUP Conopseum
Photos by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Bill Garris
Plant in situ on Florida Heritage Trail, Ocala National Forest 7/06
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
MID 
to LATE 
Common Name Greenfly Orchid [named so for the shape of the lip, see photo]
Flower Size to .92" [to 2.3 cm]
Found in Florida and Mexico as a miniature sized, cool to cold growing epiphytic or rarely lithophytic orchid commonly refered to as the green-Fly Orchid which is found on trees in low woods and cypress swamps with thick fleshy roots, a simple reed-like stem enveloped by tubular, scarious sheaths and carries 2 to 3, articulate, narrowly elliptic, acute, sub-coriaceous leaves that blooms mainly from mid-fall through the end of spring on a terminal, basally sheathed, lax, erect, short to 6.5" [16.5 cm], raceme with long lived, fragrant flowers which have a lip shaped like a green fly {See photos above}, hence the common name.
"Epidendrum conopseum is part of GROUP Conopseum SUBGROUP Conopseumand this species is recognized by the small plants, with simple stems of.8 to 2" [2 to 5 cm] high and 2 to 3 elliptic leaves, the apical, erect, racemose, several-flowered inflorescence, and the delicate, greenish-yellow flowers. Its closest relatives, E ledifolium A. Rich. & Gal., E. propinguum A. Rich. & Gal. and E skutchii A.H.S., all have a branching shrub-like habit. E. eustirum A.H.S. has simple, but generally much longer stems and compact, arcuate inflorescence. Dressler (1964) reported a natural hybrid: Epidendrum conopseum x ledifolium (San Luis Potosí, Dressler 2626A, US!), but Hágsater (1980) has discussed that the correct formula probably is Epidendrum conopseum x propinguum." Hagsater etal 1990
Synonyms Amphiglottis conopsea [R.Br.] Small 1933; Epidendrum magnoliae Muhl. 1813; Epidendrum magnoliae var. mexicanum (L.O.Williams) P.M.Br. 2000; Larnandra conopsea (R. Br.) Raf. 1837; Larnandra magnolia Raf. 1825
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as E conopseum drawing ok; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936 as E conopseum; AOS Bulletin Vol 33 No 4 1964 as E conopseum drawing; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as E conopseum drawing fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as E conopseum ; AOS Bulletin Vol 35 No 10 1966 as E conopseum photo good; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 #8 1970 as E conopseum photo fide; The Native Orchids of Florida Luer 1972 as E conopseum drawing/photos fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 44 #8 1975 as E conopseum; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 9 513 - 576 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977 as E conopseum; Icones Orchidacearum 1 Plate 28 Hagsater & Sanchez 1990 as E conopseum drawing fide; Manual Of Orchids Stewart 1995 as E conopseum; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2002 as E conopseum photo fide; Orchids of Mexico Hagsater, Soto, Salazar, Jimenez, Lopez and Dressler 2005; AOS Bulletin vol 78 No 10 2009 as E magniliae photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #1 2011 as E magnoliaephoto fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #8 2011 photo fide; Algunas Orquideas de Mexico Tomo 1 Suarez 2013 photo fide
Epidendrum conopseum var. mexicanum L.O. Williams
Photo by Noble Bashor
to
San Luis Potosi Mx., 1100 to 2000 m elev., between Ciudad del Maiz & El Naranjo, Epiphytic in mixed pine and oak forests.
Synonyms Epidendrum magnoliae var. mexicanum (L.O.Williams) P.M.Br. 2000;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as E conopsea; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; The Native Orchids of Florida Luer 1972 as E conopseum Photos/drawing fide; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1992 as E conopseum photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 12 2001 photo fide; AOS Bulletin vol 78 No 10 2009 photo fide;
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