TYPE Photo by © J. D. Acosta A. /TYPE Drawing by © R. Jiménez M. and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Constricted Epidendrum [in reference to the inflorescence which barely surfaces from in between the apical leaves of the stem, thus the flowers are bunched]
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Antioquia department of Colombia on the highest points of the Cordillera Occidental in the southwestern corner of Antioquia from the Farallones de Citará, near the border with the Chocó and Risaralda Departments in Páramo, among grasses and small bushes at elevations of 3200 to 3600 meters as a large to giant sized, cold growing terrestrial with cane-like, terete at base and laterally compressed towards the apex, erect, straight stems with the base covered with tubular, non-foliar, scarious sheaths and carrying 7 to 10 on the branches, distributed along the apical half of the stems, alternate, articulate, sub-parallel to the stem, somewhat imbricated, coriaceous, dark green, the margin reddish green, ventral surface with evident parallel veins; sheaths tubular, apex somewhat inflated when dry, but not infundibuliform, striated and strongly rugose, green tinged red; blade narrowly elliptic, apex obtuse, unequally bilobed, margin entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the winter on a terminal, erect, without a spathe, peduncle .2 to .4" [0.5 to 1.0 cm] long, terete, thick, straight; rachis 1.4" [3.5 cm] long, terete, thick, much shorter than the apical leaves, 4" [10 cm] long (including the flowers), racemose, arching-nutant, laxly, simultaneously about 20 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, widely triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying resupinate, brown outside, inside yellowish green flowers with the veins marked in green, petals yellow tinged green, column brown at base, apex green, lip yellow at base, center and apex green, anther green; the fragrance was not registered.
"Epidendrum constrictum belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cernuum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching habit, the erect cane-like stems with subapical branching, the racemose, nutant inflorescence, compact, fleshy flowers, and the lip three-lobed. The new species is recognized by the flowers brown outside, inside yellowish green, the veins marked in green, petals yellow tinged green, column brown at base, apex green, lip yellow at base, center and apex green, sepals 28-30 mm long, aristate, petals 1.04 x .184" [26 x 4.6 mm], linear-oblanceolate, and the lip sub-pandurate with prominent hemi-elliptic, fleshy calli and a pair of divaricate lobes near the apex, sub-triangular, obtuse. Epidendrum steyermarkii has greenish yellow flowers with a white lip, sepals 1.04 to 1.4" [26 to 35 mm] long, minutely apiculate, petals 1.04 to 1.12" x .2 to .28" [26 to 28 x 5 to 7 mm], oblanceolate to sub-spatulate, and a 3-lobed lip, the lateral lobes prominent, dolabriform. Epidendrum cornicallosum Foldats has similarly colored green flowers, but sepals .84 to 1.04" [21 to 26 mm] long, minutely apiculate, petals .76 to .84" x .34 to .48" [19 to 21 x 8.5 to 12 mm], obovate, and a 3-lobed lip, lateral lobes transversely elliptic. Epidendrum gerlachianum Hágsater, O.Pérez & E.Santiago has a corymbose 6-flowered inflorescence of yellowish green flowers with a white lip, sepals 1.64 to 1.76" [41 to 44 mm] long, petals 1.6 to 1.64" x .24 to .28" [40 to 41 x 6 to 7 mm], linear-oblong, and the lip clearly 3-lobed." Hagsater etal 2020
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1764 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 Drawing fide;
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