Epidendrum elegantissimum F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. 1899 GROUP Mancum SUBGROUP Mancum

Photo by © Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website

Drawing

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

Common Name or Meaning The Elegant Epidendrum

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Ecuador on the western slopes of the Andes at elevations of 2000 to 3000 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing epiphyte often found in association with ant nests or on rocks as a lithophyte and has a creeping rhizome giving rise to canelike, swollen stems carrying 5 to 7, distichous, elliptical leaves in the upper portion and blooms in the fall on a terminal, erect, branched, to 10" [to 25 cm] long, several flowered inflorescence enveloped basally by 2 to 3, imbricate spathes arising on a mature cane and has simultaneously opening, non-resupinate, fetid smelling flowers.

"Epidendrum elegantissimum belongs to the GROUP Mancum SUBGROUP Mancum, which is characterized by the sympodial growth, narrow spathaceous bracts with parallel sides, erect raceme with nonresupinate flowers and a generally reduced, fleshy lip. The species has terete stems, somewhat large, white flowers, with purple dots on the lip, oblanceolate to spatulate petals, lateral lobes of the lip progressively lacinate; midlobe emarginate, the apical margin deeply lacinate, column straight to somewhat arcuate." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 921 Dodson 1984 drawing ok; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 467 Dodson 1989 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1122 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Part 12 Plate 1213 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 Photo fide;

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