Epidendrum neoviridiflorum Hágsater 1992 GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea
Photo by © Eric Hagsater
Photo by © Alexander Hirtz
TYPE Drawing of Diothonaea viridiflora by © Schlechter
Photos by © Lourens Grobler
TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
LATE
EARLY 
Common Name The New Viridiflorum Epidendrum
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Ecuador on the western slopes of the Andes at elevations of 1800 to 3400 meters as a medium to large sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte or terrestrial with cane-like, terete stems arising out of the apex of the previous stem and carrying 15 to more, alternate, suberect, coriaceous, lanceolate, bilobed apically, slightly crenulate towards the apex, leaves attached to striated, tubular, rugose sheaths that blooms in the late winter and early spring on a terminal, arching-nutant, racemose, terete, short, 13 to 18 flowered inflorescence with lanceolate, acuminate floral bracts that are shorter than the ovaries and carry simultaneously opening, resupinate flowers.
"Epidendrum neoviridiflorum belongs to the GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea which is characterized by the branching plants, linear-lanceolate to oblong, bilóbed leaves racemose, arching-nutant inflorescence, membranaceous, rarely fleshy flowers, the entire to 3-lobed, ecallose lip with the margin erose with or without 1 to 10 thin, smooth to erose keels, the column completely to obliquely united to the lip, the anther reniform. The species has a 1.8 to 2.6" [4.5 to 6.5 cm] long inflorescence, green or burgundy red flowers, an entire, ovate-suborbicular lip, apically 4-lobed, and 3 to 5 long laminar keels at the base [running down the lip, the middle keel reaching about 3/4 of the lip], the lateral ones much reduced, a prominent column-foot, not involute, without forming a sac and leaves .24 to .56" [6 to 14 mm] wide, the column with a pair of involute wings Epidendrum gratissimum (Rchb.f.) Hágsater & Dodson, has a inflorescence 2 to 2.8" [5 to 7 cm] long, a subreniform, apically 4-lobed lip with 3 to 5, long, laminar, erose keels usually short, and the lip obliquely united to the column, with a prominent column-foot not Involute without forming a sac Epidendrum Iloense (Lindl.) Hágsater & Dodson has the inflorescence 2 to 4.8" [5 to 12 cm] long, a subreniform lip with 5 smooth or rarely serrulate keels that form a convex structure at the base of the lip and the column with a very próminent column-foot forming a sac and without involute wings. Epldendrum orthopterum Hagsater & E.Santlago has a short inflorescence just .8" [2 cm] long, a 3-lobed lip with 7 erose keels, and the column wlth a palr of straight, non involule wings." Hasgsater etal 2006
Synonyms Diothonea viridiflora Schltr.1921
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 8: 66 Ecuador Schlechter 1921 as Diothonea viridiflora; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 57 Figuren Altlas Schlechter 1929 as Diothonea viridiflora Drawing ok; *Orquídea (Méx.) 12(2): 296. Hagsater 1992; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 2 Dodson 2001 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 24 #1 2005 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 8 plate 838 Hagsater 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 8 plate 859 Hagsater 2006 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 8 plate 879 Hagsater 2006 see recognition section; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #1 2016 photo fide;
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