Epidendrum dolichochlamys Hágsater & E.Santiago 2006 GROUP Polychlamys SUBGROUP Polychlamys

TYPE Drawing by © Lopez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

MID EARLY

Common Name The Elongate Inflorescence Polychlamys Group Epidendrum

Flower Size 1.6" [4 cm]

Found in Costa Rica at elevations of 2400 to 2700 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with an erect, simple, cane-like, terete basally, laterally compressed towards the apex, arcuate stem enveloped completely by tubular, somewhat inflated apically, scarious sheaths, arising from an intermediate internode of the previous stem, carrying 2 to 4, at the apex of the newer stems, coriaceous, elliptic-ovate, acute, retuse, margin spreading and entire leaves that blooms in the mid winter to early summer on a terminal, occuring only once, distichous, racemose, sinuous, nutant, 3.4 to 6.4" [8.5 to 16 cm] long, lax, few flowered inflorescence with the peduncle completely enveloped by a tubular, oblong, acute, conduplicate bract and with almost as long as the ovary, ovate, acute, conduplicate, amplexicaul, deciduous floral bracts and carrying 4 to 8, simultaneously opening, resupinate, green tinged with wine red to purple flowers.

"Epidendrum dolichochlamys belongs to the GROUP Polychlamys SUBGROUP Polychlamys which is characterized by the successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the prevlous growth, leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems and apical, distichous inflorescence with very prominent, conduplicate, acute, glumaceous floral bracts. The species is distinguished by the elongate, sinuous rachis with large, drooping floral bracts, the peduncle covered by a single bract, showy flowers with sepals .8 to .88" [20 to 22 mm] long, green tinged wine-red to purple, the lip widely oblong, bicallose, and the nectary forming a prominent vesicle along the apical half of the ovary. Epidendrum bugabense has numerous imbricating bracts covering the peduncle, the floral bracts smaller and at an angle with respect to the rachis, smaller, red flowers with sepals .52 to .64" [l3 to 16 mm] , a short column .2" [5 mm] long, and a similar vesicle on the underside of the ovary. Epidendrum lutheri Hágsater has a similar lax inflorescence of 5 to 9 smaller .56 to .6" [14 to 15 mm], green flowers wlth narrow segments. Epidendrum polychlamys Ames has a compact, dense inflorescence with small, yellow flowers with the sepals .52" [13 mm], spreading floral bracts, an ecallose, widely oblong lip, and the nectary does not form a vesicle. Epidendrum atwoodchlamys Hágsater also has a dense inflorescence with large sepals .72 to .96" [18 to 24 mm], yellow or greenish yellow flowers and very wide petals .4 to .5" [10-12.5 mm] wide, a suborbicular ecallose lip, and the ovary does not form a vesicle." Hagsater etal 2006

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidaceaum 8 Plate 829 Hagsater & Salazar 2006 drawing fide;

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