Epidendrum suavis (Rchb. f. & Warsz.) Lřjtnant 1977 GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea
Photo/drawing by © Eric Hagsater and The AMO Herbario Website
Photo by © Patricia Harding
LATER
THROUGH MID 
Common Name or Meaning The Soft Epidendrum [possibly refers to the thin textured flowers]
Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]
Found in central Ecuador to northern Peru on the western slopes in scrubland and paramo as well as road embankments at elevations of 1650 to 3500 meters as a medium to giant sized, cool to cold growing orchid with cane-like, terete to laterally compressed, thin stems branching towards the apex and carrying 8 to 15 flowers on the main stem and 4 to 8 on the branches that blooms in the later summer through mid fall on a terminal, arching-nutant inflorescence with triangular, acute floral bracts that are shorter than the ovary and carrying simultaneously opening, fragrant flowers.
" Epidendrum suavis belongs to the GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea which is characterized by the branching plants, linear lanceolate to oblong, bilobed 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 obliguely united to the lip, the anther reniform. The species has narrowly lanceolate leaves 1.6 to 5.8" [4 to 14.5 cm] long, a long, dense inflorescence with 9 to 23 yellow ish, sweetly fragrant flowers, petals narrowly rhombic, with the base unguiculate and a short, thick, upturned column with prominent, rounded, ventral wings. Epidendrum diothonaeoides Schltr. has larger, fleshy, brown or reddish brown flowers, it also has rhombic petals but these are .72 top .8" [18 to 20 mm] long, and the lip is reniform. Epidendrum dolichorhachis Hágsater & Dodson has a longer inflorescence with up to 30 flowers, oblong petals .268 to .4" [6.7 to 10 mm] long, a 3-lobed lip, cordate at the base, provided with 5 erose, elongate keels and a slightly sigmoid column." Hagsater etal 1977
Synonyms *Diothonea suavis Rchb. f. & Warsz. 1854
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854 as Diothonaea suavis; Orchids of Peru Vol 2 Schweinfurth 1959 as Diothonea suavis; Bot Notiser 130 Lojtnant 1977 Drawing hmm; Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 405 Hagsater 2001 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 733 Hagsater 2004 see recognition section; Orquideologia 24: 3 Ortiz & Hagsater 2005 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 835 Hagsater 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 890 Hagsater 2006 drawing ok; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1279 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
