Epidendrum davidsei Hágsater 1993 GROUP Bracteosum SUBGROUP Pallens

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

Cold LATE Summer EARLYFall

Common Name or Meaning Davidse's Epidendrum [American Orchid Enthusiast and collector of species current]

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Costa Rica in montane forests at elevations around 3200 to 3279 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, straight, laterally compressed stems enveloped basally by 5 scarious, non-foliaceous sheaths carrying about 5, distributed all along the apical 1/2 of the stem, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, acute apically leaves that blooms in the the late summer and early fall on a terminal, on a mature stem, occuring only once, racemose to 1 branched, arcuate, 4.8" [12 cm] long including the peduncle with prominent bracts, 7 to 9 flowered inflorescence arising through a tubular, 2.4" [6 cm] laterally compressed, acute spathe and carrying conduplicate, cucullate, ovate, acute, spaced apart floral bracts and carrying dull yellow with pink tinge to the exterior flowers.

Distinguished by the terminal, racemose inflorescence arising through a basal, tubular spathe, and conduplicate, cucullate, progressively smaller towards the apex floral bracts and flowers with trinerved, strongly constricted towards the base petals and a subquadrangular lip with three fleshy keels that go the length of the lamina.

"Epidendrum davidsei is part of the GROUP Bracteosum SUBGROUP Pallens characterized by the 1 to 2 leaved stems, the leaves aggregate at the apex of the stem, inflorescence racemose, generally longer than the apical leaf, with the peduncle covered by 1 to 4 tubular, scarious, fibrous bracts, the floral bracts tubular, nearly parallel to the rachis. The species is distinguished from all other Central American species by the relatively large plant, ca. 16 to 20” [40 to 50 cm] high of caespitose habit, with terminal, racemose to 1-branched inflorescence with a basal spathe, the large, conduplicate, cucullate, progressively smaller, acute floral bracts and the fleshy flowers with 3-veined petals and pandurate, aubquadrangular lip .48 x .32” [12 x 8 mm], with three fleshy keels running down the center. The species is closely related to E. bracteosum Ames & C. Schweinf., which can be easily distinguished by the much smaller plants up to 5.6" [14 cm] high, the flowers with single veined petals and smaller segments, the lip .28 to .32 x .24" [7 to 8 x 6 mm]. Both species seem to be sympatric at the type locality of E. davidsei, and both belong rather loosely in the GROUP Spathiger SUBGROUP Coriifolium , with the inflorescence, however, sometimes branched and not distichous." Hagsater etal 1993

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidaceaeum 2 Plate 127 Hagsater & Sanchez 1993 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1106 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008;Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003;

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