LCDP Photo by © M. Salas G. & A. Cisneros /TYPE photo by © M. Salas G. and The AMO Herbario Website
EARLY
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 .2" [5 mm]
Found in San Martin and Amazonas departments of northern Peru on the Central Cordillera of the Andes in the upper valley, source of the Utcubamba River, which runs north and joins the Marańón in high Andean forest relicts, especially Polylepis sp., surrounded by “pajonales” (Jalca), with high humidity, trees completely covered by moss and floor covered with “Puyas” (Bromeliaceae) at elevations of 3200 to 3500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with ovoid, partly covered by non-foliar sheaths, short pseudobulbs carrying 1 to 3, at the apex of pseudobulb, lanceolate, acute, fleshy, coriaceous, above green, underside wine-red, with a dorsal keel, margin minutely erose, spreading leaves that blooms in the late summer, fall and early winter on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle reduced, .56" [14 mm] long overall, sessile, sub-umbellate, racemose, much shorter than the leaf, simultaneous, up to 6 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, triangulate to ovate, acute foloral bracts and carrying all facing upwards, orange, turning somewhat pink with age flowers with the fragrance not registered.
"Epidendrum croceoserpens belongs to the GROUP Kalopternix SUBGROUP Serpens characterized by the aggregate, globose pseudobulbs with fleshy-coriaceous leaves, and a sessile inflorescence, and one or few fleshy, compact, star-shaped flowers, often burgundy red in color, lip entire, more or less cordiform. The new species is recognized for having 1 to 3 leaves per pseudobulb, leaves lanceolate, to 2.04" [5.1 cm] long, green above, underside wine-red, margin minutely erose; flowers 3 to 6, facing upwards, orange, turning somewhat pink with age, petals .168" [4.2 mm] long, ovate, and lip with a low wide mid-rib. Epidendrum yacuriense Hágsater & H.Medina has more than 6 wine-red flowers, the column and apex of the sepals pale green, a single leaf per pseudobulb, petals .236" [5.9 mm] long, oblong-lanceolate, and the disc of the lip glabrous. Epidendrum pachacuteqianum Hágsater & Collantes, has a single longer leaf, to 3.72" [8.3 cm] long, dark, dull green, flowers non-resupinate, grayish pink to pale copper pink, lip pink to creamy green, column creamy green with dorsal fuchsia spots near the base, and the margin of petals and lip minutely papillose. Epidendrum citroserpens Hágsater, Cisneros & J.Duarte, has 2 leaves per pseudobulb, a 2-3 flowered inflorescence, flowers yellowish green, a cordiform lip, short apiculate, the disc with a thick mid-rib, and a column about .2" [5 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2020
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1765 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 Drawing fide;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
