Epidendrum cuniculatum Schltr. 1921 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cuniculatum
Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
TYPE Drawing by © Schlechter
EARLIER
THROUGH EARLY
Common Name The Rabbit Warren Like Epidendrum [refers to the deep nectary]
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]
Found in southern Colombia and northern Ecuador at elevations of 3000 to 3800 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with branching, arising from the subapical internode of the previous stem, cane-like, terete, progressively shorter stems carrying 2 to 4, in the apical half of the stem, articulate, linear to linear-lanceolate, acute, mucronate, margin crenate leaves that blooms in the earlier winter through early fall on a terminal, arching-nutant, short, peduncle terete, thin simultaneously 6 to 10 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, lanceolate, acute to acuminate floral bracts and carrying resupinate, reddish green flowers.
"Epidendrum cuniculatum belongs to GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cuniculatum , which is characterized by the monopodial, branching habit, adpressed leaf-sheaths, acute or obtuse leaves, margin crenate and usually a 3-lobed lip. The species is recognized by the deep nectary, penetrating more than half the ovary, a large, funnel-shaped clinandrium with the margin sinuous, and very short, flabellate, lateral lobes of the lip, with a sinuous margin. It is very similar to Epidendrum tenuicaule Lindl. (syn. Epidendrum ochricolor A. D. Hawkes) which has bushy, branching, short plants, narrow leaves, mostly less than .2" [5 mm] wide, but with wider leaves on the main stem in younger plants, the arching small inflorescence with greenish yellow, simultaneous flowers, the lateral lobes of the lip well developed, dolabriform, and a short ovary. In Ecuador it has been confused with the Peruvian Epidendrum scabrum Ruiz & Pav. that has very tall monopodial stems, with a large, paniculate, arching-nutant, many-flowered inflorescence, and much larger, wider leaves, to .52" [13 mm] in width. Epidendrum cuniculatum grows in the same region as Epidendrum angustissimum Lindl. (syn. chortophyllum Schltr., and E. acuminatum Ruiz & Pavón which forms a more open bush, and has linear-lanceolate, acuminate leaves to .14 [3.5 mm] wide, the rachis of the inflorescence longer, to 2.13" [5.3 cm] long and the lateral lobes of the lip semi-orbicular to forming a quarter circle, with a right angle at the apex. Epidendrum cuniculatum somewhat resembles E. soratae Rchb.f. which has infundibuliform leaf-sheaths, short stems produced from the sub-apical internodes of the previous stem, narrow, linear petals with an entire margin and a reniform lip, with a very small, emarginate midlobe and the margins entire. Epidendrum tetragonioides Hágsater & Dodson has thinner stems, narrower floral segments and a rectangular entire lip, nearly twice as long as it is wide." Hagsater etal 2009
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 8: 71 Ecuador Schlechter 1921; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. Figuren -Atlas 57: 340 Schlechter 1929 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 727 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 774 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 794 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 8 Plate 892 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 9 Plate 906 Hagsater & Sanchez 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1233 Hagsater & Santiago 2009 Drawing fide
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