Epidendrum cuatrecasasii Garay 1956 GROUP Cuatrecasii

Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

MID EARLY

Common Name Cuatrecasas' Epidendrum [Colombian Botanist in Washington DC at the Smithsonian 1900's]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Choco and Valle de Cauca departments of Colombia in the Pacific lowlands within tropical rainforests at elevations of sea level to 100 meters with simple, cane-like laterally compressed stems carrying all along the apical half of the stem, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, acute, minutely apiculate leaves that blooms in the mid winter and early spring on a terminal and lateral, at least the apical one pluriracemose, erect, only one per raceme from a subapical node, but there may be more than one per stem, new rachis arising from the imbricating, tubular, infundibuliform lower bracts and carrying light green flowers.

"Epidendrum cuatrecasasii belongs to the GROUP Cuatrecasii Characterized by the caespitose habit, the fleshy coriaceous narrow leaves on simple stems, and the apical and lateral sessile inflorescences with successive flowers. The species is recognized by the acuminate, narrow leaves, apical and lateral inflorescence, the lateral inflorescence, if present, with an evident peduncle and non-floral bracts (the bracts are also present in the apical inflorescence, though sometimes they may be hidden by the apical leaf), the ovary is triangular in section (triquetrous). It was confused by Garay himself with a member of the GROUP Difforme , Epidendrum jejunum Rchb.f. which it resembles superficially; however, the presence of a lateral inflorescence (which was not present on the type seen by Garay) shows the successive bracts of the inflorescence typical of the GROUP Cuatrecasii . The species is somewhat Similar to Epidendrum hexagonum Hágsater & Dodson, which is, however, much larger overall. It can be confused with E. jejunum which grows further south, in Ecuador, on the western slope between 200 to 800 meters in elevation, has bilobed leaves less than 2.8" [7 cm] long and sepals less than .44" [11 mm] long. Epidendrum stellidifforme Hágsater & Dodson from southern Colombia and northern Ecuador is found at elevations of 1300 to 1500 meters, has larger flowers, the sepals being more than .64" [16 mm] long. The two latter species belong to the GROUP Difforme and do not have any lateral inflorescence." Hagsater etal 2010

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orquideas de la Serrania del Baudo Cho Colombia Misas 2005 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 824 Hágsater, Santiago and Sanchez 2010 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1256 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Orchids of the Department of Valle de Cauca Colombia Vol 2 Kolanowska, Hagsater, Ayala and Saldana 2014 drawing/photo fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1814 2020 see recognition section

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