Epidendrum cotacachiense Hágsater & Dodson 2009 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cernnum
Photo by © Rudy Gelis
TYPE Drawing by © Lopez and The AMO Herbaria Website
Photos by © Eerika Schulz and her Flickr Orchid Photo Website
LATE 
EARLY 
Common Name The Cotacachi Epidendrum [A town in Imbabura Ecuador]
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found through central Ecuador on both sides of the Andes at elevations of 2700 to 3600 meters as a large to giant sized, cold growing terrestrial or rarely epiphyte with branching above, cane-like, terete, erect, main stem much longer than the branches, straight stems carrying 11 to 21 on the main stem, all along the stem, distichous, articulate, coriaceous, oblong-elliptic, rounded apically, slightly bilobed, margin entire leaves that blooms in the late spring through early winter on a terminal, arching, occuring only once, racemose, peduncle short, subterete, subdense, simultaneously 15 to 20 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, linear-lanceolate, acuminate floral bracts and carrying resupinate, greenish yellow to creamy white, fragrant flowers with the dorsal side of the sepals tinged with purple brown.
CAUTION Although close, I am hesitant to determine the photos by Eerika Schulz as this species, I await verification from Eric Hagsater.
"Epidendrum cotacachiense belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cernnum, characterized by the monopodial habit, cane-like stems with sub-apical branches which are considerably shorter than the main stem, coriaceous to sub-coriaceous leaves, apex bilobed, and fleshy flowers, the lip 3-lobed. The species is recognized by the by the creamy white to greenish yellow colored flowers, the sepals somewhat dorsally tinged with brownish purple, sepals .56 to .64" [13.5 to 16 mm] long, petals obovate spatulate, lateral lobes of the lip dolabriform (nearly as wide as the midlobe), and the midlobe widely sub-deltoid, emarginate and forming a pair of apical, obliquely sub-rectangular lobes. Epidendrum mojandae Schltr. has nearly the same geographic distribution, and same color flowers, but in the species the petals are oblong-oblanceolate, and the lateral lobes of the lip are flabelliform, and the midlobe cuneate, with a very narrow base. In Epidendrum torquatum Lindl. the petals are oblanceolate-spatulate, the lateral lobes of the lip obliquely flabelliform, and the midlobe is cuneate with the apex tridentate, not emarginate. Epidendrum pastoënse Schltr., found in northern Ecuador and southern Colombia, has the sepals dorsally aristate, the petals obliquely elliptic, and the lip with the dolabriform lateral lobes of the lip much wider than the sub-rectangular oblong midlobe, which is narrow and tridentate." Hagsater etal 2009
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1231 Hágsater & Dodson 2009 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1265 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 # 1 2019 photo fide;
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