Epidendrum diommoides Hagsater, Edquen & Santiago 2021 GROUP Ventricosum

Drawing by © L. O. Williams & R. Jiménez M.and Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1866 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 and the AMO Herbaria Website

LATER EARLY

Common Name The Two Eyed E diommum-like Epidendrum [refers to the 2 white calli that look like eyes and its similarity to E diommum]

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in Amazonas and San Martin departments of Peru in very wet, mossy relicts of high Andean scrub at elevations around 3326 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, terete, thin stems basally enveloped by non-foliar, tubular, white, scarious sheaths and carrying 3 to 4, distributed along the apical 2/3 of the stem, alternate, coriaceous, erect nearly parallel to the stem, unequal in size, the lower ones smaller, medium green on both sides, articulate to the tubular, minutely striated, ochre sheaths, blade lanceolate, apex obtuse, minutely apiculate, apical margin entire leaves that blooms in the later spring and summer on a terminal, ariisng througha basally tubular, conduplicate above, laterally compressed, linear-oblong, obtuse, ochre spathe, peduncle 1.4 to 2.2" [3.5 to 5.5 cm] long, terete, thin, erect, straight, hidden within the spathes, rachis 1.4 to 2.6" [3.5 to 6.5 cm] long, terete, thin, racemose, erct in the spathe and then arcing rachis, laxly, successively few, opening from the apex towards the base, 10 to 13 flowered inflorescence with triangular, acute, embracing, much shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers without fragrance data.

"Epidendrum diommoides belongs to the GROUP Ventricosum, characterized by the sympodial growth, the few narrow leaves, the racemose inflorescence subtended by 1-2 narrow, spathaceous bracts, the delicate, purple flowers with an inflated nectary on the underside of the column, and the lip laminar and more or less cordate. The new species is recognized by the plants to 9.2" [23 cm] tall, the lanceolate, erect leaves, the inflorescence with up to 13 successive flowers opening from the apex towards the base of the rachis, the flowers magenta with white, parallel calli, the sepals .32 to .4" [8 to 10 mm] long, and the lip .16 to .22 x .2" [4.0 to 5.5 x 5.0 mm], triangular. Epidendrum diommum Hágsater & Chocce is vegetatively similar but the inflorescence has up to 5, simultaneous flowers, also magenta, with white strongly divaricate calli, the flowers larger, the sepals .62 to .76" [15.5 to 19 mm] long, and the lip .32 x .4" [8 x 10 mm], widely cordiform. Epidendrum leimebambense Hágsater is vegetatively similar but the flowers are pale green with pale purple spots, and the column is thin, without forming an inflated vesicular nectary. Epidendrum ventricosum Lindl. is similar in the magenta color of the flowers, but the plants are smaller, the stems thinner, and the leaves somewhat narrower, .16 to .32" [4 to 8 mm] wide, linear-lanceolate. Epidendrum amethystinum Rchb.f. has very similar flowers in color, and the inflated nectary formed by the union of the column and claw of the lip, but the sepals are slightly longer, .4 to .44" [10 to 11 mm] long and ovate-oblong, the lip ovate with horn-like, incurved calli, the stems short, to 2" [5 cm] long, and the leaves shorter and wider, 1.2 to 2.12" x .32 to .88" [3.0 to 5.3 x 0.8 to 2.2 cm], elliptic." Hagsater etal 2021

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1866 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 LCDP/photo fide

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