Epidendrum deltastachyum Hágsater & E.Santiago 2015> GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum
TYPE Photo by H Medina/TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
Common Name The Triangular Lip Ear of Corn Epidendrum
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Tungurahua province of Ecuador at elevations around 3000 to 3200 meters as a large sized, cold growing, monopodial epiphyte with branching in maturity, cane-like, terete, slightly arching stems enveloped basally by scarious sheaths and carrying numerous on the main stem, 6 to 8 persistent at the apex, articulate, alternate, partly spreading, narrowly elliptic, obtuse, margin entire, slightly revolute leaves that blooms in the winter on a terminal, slightly arching, occuring only once, peduncle .2" [5 mm] long, subterete, straight, rachis 4.6" [11.5 cm] long, terete, helicoid, 4.8" [12 cm] long overall, simultaneously 18 to 21 flowered inflorescence with prominent, somewhat longer than the ovary, gradually smaller above, triangular, acute, amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, fleshy, green tinged with brown, turning orange brown with age flowers with the base of the lip and column green.
"Epidendrum deltastachyum belongs to the GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum, which is characterized by the monopodial plants with sub-apical branching, rugose leaf sheaths, large leaves generally spreading, racemose, erect inflorescence, and fleshy flowers generally green to black (ripe olive colored), as well as yellow to pink to purple, with an entire, conduplicate, generally ecallose and pubescent lip embracing the column, and the nectary pubescent to papillose in front of the stigmatic cavity and at least at the base of the lip. The species is recognized by the narrowly elliptic, obtuse leaves, sepals dorsally echinate, .6 to .68" [15 to 17 mm] long, petals oblong-elliptic, lip deltate, base truncate and the corners rounded, widely apiculate at the apex. Epidendrum dermatanthum has linear oblong to lanceolate, acute leaves, glabrous sepals, petals linear-lanceolate, and a cordiform lip with the base clearly cordate. Epidendrum palaciosii Hágsater & Dodson has longer inflorescences 3.6 to 8" [9 to 20 cm] long, cylindrical, with small floral bracts, .1 to .14" [2.5 to 4 mm] long, sepals dorsally muricate, .28 to .32" [7 to 8 mm] long, petals oblanceolate, apically rounded. Epidendrum rostrigerum Rchb.f. is vegetatively similar, but the sepals glabrous, .38 to .44" [9 to 11 mm] long, petals linear-oblong, falcate, lip lunate, nearly semi-orbicular, and the anther is prominently rostrate, surpassing the apex of the column." Hagsater etal 2015
Synonyms P>References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1518 Hágsater & Sántiago 2015 Drawing fide
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