Epidendrum diphyllum Schltr 1920 GROUP Cylindraceum

Drawing by © Jimenez & Hagsater and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The Two Leaved Epidendrum

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Cauca and Narino departments of Colombia on the upper eastern slopes of the Cordillera Occidental at elevations around 3000 to 3120 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, laterally compressed stems enveloped almost completely by 2 to 3, partly imbricating, laterally compressed, acute, papery sheaths and carrying 2 to 3, towards the apex of the stem, elliptic, coriaceous, unequally bilobed leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, arising through a single, persistent, acute, long spathe, racemose, arching, to 6" [15 cm] long, peduncle to 3" [7.5 cm] long, rachis to 3" [3.5 cm] long, simultaneously to more than 20 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers with the tepals olive yellow and the lip white with violet dots.

"Epidendrum diphyllum Schltr belongs to the GROUP Cylindraceum characterized by the sympodial habit, narrow spathaceous bracts with parallel sides an erect racemose inflorescence with non-resupinate flowers and a generally reduced, fleshy lip. The species can be recognized by the large, wide leaves, 2.8 to 4.8" x .92 to 1.48" [7 to 12 x 2.3 to 3.7 cm], .3 to .44" [7.5 to 11 mm] long, dorsally speckled sepals, margin of the petals minutely and irregularly crenulate, smooth, .92 to 1.12" [23 to 28 mm] long ovary, lateral lobes of the lip falcate, ligulate, apically obliquely truncate, acute, posterior margin crenulate, isthmus of the midlobe linear-oblong, the apex bifid, apical lobes narrow and oblong, apical margin crenulate-dentate. It is very similar to Epidendrum cylindraceum Lindl. but that species has wider leaves, 1 to 1.4" [2.5 to 3.5 cm], sepals dorsally smooth to rarely verrucose towards the apex, margin of the petals entire to lightly serrulate, ovary slightly verrucose, .48 to .88" [12 to 22 mm] long; lateral lobes of the lip falcate, the isthmus of the midlobe oblong, wider, and the apical lobes falcate. Epidendrum lřjtnantii Hágsater & Dodson has narrower leaves .72 to .8" [1.8 to 2.0 cm] wide, sepals dorsally verrucose, the lateral lobes of the lip have the margin crenulate, and the isthmus of the midlobe cuneate with the apex 3-lobed." Hagsater etal 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 7: 130 Schlechter 1920; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 7: 246 Schlechter 1920; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1234 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1239 Hágsater & Sanchez 2009 Drawing fide; Orchids of the Department of Valle de Cauca Colombia Vol 2 Kolanowska, Hagsater, Ayala and Saldana 2014 drawing fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017;

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