Epidendrum cordiforme C.Schweinf. 1940 GROUP Ramosum SUBGROUP Rugosum
TYPE Drawing by Hagsater and The AMO Herbaria Website
Collection sheet by © Oakes Ames Herbaria and Epidendra Webpage
LATER 
MID
Common Name The Heart-Shaped Lip Epidendrum
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]
Found in Costa Rica and Panama at elevations of 1900 to 2700 meters as a miniature to small sized, cold growing epiphtye with a cane-like, thin, branching above stem carrying to 10, all along the main stem, 3 to 4 each on the branches, a single leaf on the flowering branches, each blade subcoriaceous, smooth, dorsally carinate, oblong-elliptic to linear, unequally bilobed apically leaves that blooms in the later summer though mid winter on a terminal, racemose, distichous, subsessile, 1 to rarely 2 flowered inflorescence with longer than the ovary, infundibuliform, verrucose, acute floral bracts and carrying resupinate, creamy white flowers with the apex of almost all parts tinged purple.
"Epidendrum cordiforme C. Schweinf., belongs to the GROUP Ramosum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching stems, the spike-like, distichous inflorescence, and the single callus, and the SUBGROUP Rugosum which has branching habit with few-flowered inflorescences from short, secondary stems, and the leaf- sheaths rugose. The species can be recognized by the small, tree like habit, its thin, terete stems, .48" [1.2 mm] thick flowers 1 or rarely 2, cream colored tinged with purple, the lip semiorbicular-cordiform and apiculate. It is very similar to Epidendrum elcimeyae Hágsater & Carda-Cruz from lower altitudes around 1350 m, which has ancipitose stems, 2 to 3 yellowish-green flowers, sepals narrowly lanceolate, 3-veined, petals narrowly oblong, 3-veined, and the lip triangular-cordate with a tridentate callus. Epidendrum microcardium Schltr. has 12" [30 cm] tall plants, terete stems, 5 to 10 small flowers, and sepals and petals linear, 3-veined, .16" [4 mm long. Epidendrum microdendron Rchb.f. has ancipitose stems, longer leaves and a 3-lobed lip." Hagsater etal 2007
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 329 Hagsater & Sanchez 1999 see recognition section; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 922 Hagsater 2007 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1143 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1188 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section;
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