Epidendrum frechetteanum D.E.Benn. & Christenson 2001 GROUP Kockii
Photos by © Marni Turkel
Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name Frechette's Epidendrum [American Master Horticulturist current]
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Peru in very cool, wet montane cloud forests always on the undersides of branches or on tree trunk sides at elevations around 1650 to 2400 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with a creeping, branching rhizome with congested, 2 internoded stems carrying 2, thickly coriaceous, dark green above, tinted faintly pale purplish below, elliptic, basally conduplicate, apiculate, rugose above leaves that blooms in the summer on a sessile, short, 1 to 4 flowered inflorescence arising through a short spathe.
Similar to E sophronitis but differs in the branching habit, the dark green rugulose, elliptic leaves, the short bifoliate stems carrying 1 to 4 flowers, the acute [not acuminate] labellum and the broadly triangular [not retuse] anther apex.
"Epidendrum frechetteanum belongs to the GROUP Kockii which is characterized by the caespitose habit, with 1 to 2 fleshy-succulent leaves, 1 to 2 spathaceous bracts, flowers resupinate or not, with an ecallose, prominent 3-lobed or entire lip, The species is recognized by the descending plant habit, 1 to 5 simultaneous, resupinate, brown to wine-red flowers, the petals with scarce, minute ciliate appendages, the apical margins of the lobes of the lip minutely erose-dentate, the sides of the isthmus concave, margins entire. Epidendrum latorreorum Chocce-Peńa, Hágsater & Dalström has similar plants, but with one leaf and its flowers are non-secund, larger, greenish copper colored and the lip 3-lobed, the ovary only slightly curved. Epidendrum kockii Hágsater & Dodson of the GROUP Kockii has two leaves, but its stems shorter, flowers larger, resupinate, brown with a burgundy-red, large, wide, obreniform, bicallose lip." Hagsater etal 2013
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 637 Bennett & Christenson 2001 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1429 2013drawing fide; Miniature Orchids, A Compendium Parsons and Gerritson 2013 photo fide; LANKESTERIANA 14(1) 2014
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