Epidendrum pastoense Schltr. 1920 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Sumacoense

Plant and Flowers in situ, Purace Colombia

Photos by © Jay Pfahl

Drawing

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

Common Name The Pasto Epidendrum [a City in Southern Colombia]

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in southern Colombia and Ecuador in the interAndean valley in cold, wet cloud forests at elevations of 2800 to 3200 meters as a large sized, cold growing terrestrial with an erect, cane-like, terete, erect, straight, branching above, the main stem much longer than the branches, woody stem carrying many on the main stem, 2 to 5 on the branches, those of the main stem larger, all along the apical half, distichous, erect-spreading, coriaceous, sheath tubular, minutely rugose, blade oblong to oblong-elliptic, apex obtuse, bilobed, margin entire, basally clasping leaves that blooms in the later spring on a terminal, flowering only once, arising through a spathe, decurved, peduncle sub-terete, occasionally provided with a basal, triangular-lanceolate, acuminate bract, short, 3" [7.5 cm] long, simultaneously 8 to 30 flowered inflorescence with ovate to ovate lanceolate, acuminate floral bracts and carries very fragrant, resupinate, fleshy flowers.

Almost always found within bushes to help support the canes.

"Epidendrum pastoënse belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Sumacoense, characterized by the monopodial habit, cane-like stems with sub-apical branches which are considerably shorter than the main stem, coriaceous to sub-coriaceous leaves, apex bilobed, and fleshy flowers, the lip 3-lobed. The species is recognized by the white to creamy white flowers, the sepals somewhat dorsally tinged with purple, sepals .44 to .56" [11 to 14 mm]long, with a prominent dorsal awn, petals elliptic, obtuse, .2 to .24" [5 to 6 mm] wide, the lateral lobes of the lip dolabriform, midlobe emarginate with a prominent mucro. Epidendrum suaveolens Ames has greenish white to creamy yellow flowers, the lateral sepals with a low, erose awn, .56 to .64" [14 to 16 mm] long, elliptic to oblong-oblanceolate petals apically rounded and minutely apiculate,.2 to .28" [5 to 7 mm] wide, the lateral lobes of the lip suborbicular, and the midlobe widely and shortly apiculate. Epidendrum torquatum Lindl. has yellow to greenish white, somewhat smaller flowers, sepals .44 to .48" [11 to 12 mm] long, petals oblanceolate-spatulate, .12 to .16" [3 to 4 mm] wide, and the lateral lobes of the lip very large, dolabriform, the midlobe cuneate, apically tridentate. Epidendrum fagerlindii Hágsater & Dodson has flowers nearly the same size but greenish yellow, elliptic, rounded petals .28" [7 mm] wide, and the lateral lobes of the lip semi-ovate, nearly as wide as the midlobe which is emarginate but without any mucro in the sinus." Hagsater etal 2009

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 7: 142 Schlechter 1920; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 7: 250 Schlechter 1920; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. Figuren-Atlas 57: 176 Schlechter 1929 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 430 Hagsater & Sanchez 2001 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 736 Hagsater & Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1178 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Part 12 Plate 1229 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1231 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Part 12 Plate 1272 Hagsater 2009 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Part 12 Plate 1295 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Part 12 Plate 1298 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Orquideologia 29: 1 Hagsater & Medina 2012 photo fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 drawing/photo fide;

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