Epidendrum englerioides Hagsater, Uribe & Cisneros 2020 GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Porphyreum

LCDP by © C Uribe and A Cisneros and Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1810 2020

Another Flower?

Photo by © Lourens Grobler

LATER EARLY

Common Name The Epidendrum englerianum-like Epidendrum

Flower Size .88" [2.2 cm]

Found in Santander department of Colombia on the cordillera Oriental of the Andes at elevations around 1800 meters as a medium sized, cool growing epiphyte or terresttrial with simple, cane-like, terete, thin, erect, straight stems with the basal half covered by non-foliar, tubular, imbricated, papyraceous, scarious, brown sheaths becoming fibrous with time an carrying 6 to 15, all along the apical 22/3rds of the stem, distichous, articulate, sub-erect, lanceolate, acute, grass-like, margin entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the later fall, spring and early summer on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle 2.16" [5.4 cm] long, thin, laterally compressed, straight, provided with 1 to 3, linear-triangular, acuminate, tubular bracts that cover it completely, rachis 2.36 to 2.48" [5.9 to 6.2 cm] long, terete, thin, somewhat flexuous, paniculate, sub-erect to slightly arching, lax, successsively several, 4 to 12 flowered inflorescence with decreasing in size towards the apex, narrowly triangular, acuminate, amplexicaul. shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers that eventually are all open together.

CAUTION!! Hagsater states that this orchid was considered to be a albino form of E englerianum but has been elevated to species status on the fact that the entire population of the albino form exists in central Colombia, far from the range of E englerianum in Ecuador.

"Epidendrum englerioides belongs to the GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Porphyreum, characterized by caespitose plants, cane-like stems, acute to acuminate leaves, the apical inflorescence, lacking a spathe, the petals filiform, the lip usually 3-lobed, with 3 parallel fleshy ribs, the apical lobe often bifurcate, and the pollinia “bird-wing” type; The species is recognized by the sepals and petals bright green with the apex of the column and lip white, the sepals about 10 mm long, and the 3-lobed lip with the lobes of the mid-lobe longer than the ovate lateral-lobes of the lip which are slightly retrorse. Epidendrum englerianum has a lax, few-flowered inflorescence with the sepals and petals deep purple, the apex of the column and lip pink, sepals reflexed, .4 to .52" [10 to 13 mm] long, the base of lip deeply cordate, lateral lobes falcate-retrorse, wider between the lateral lobes than between the apical bilobed mid-lobe, and the lobes are proportionately shorter and wider, and the calli thin, prominent. Epidendrum jasminosmum Hágsater & Dodson has somewhat similar flowers, but plants are large to 28" [70 cm] tall, the leaves are elliptic 3.2 to 6" [8 to 20 cm] long, the inflorescence is a many-flowered panicle, and flowers are pale green turning yellow, the apical half of the column and lip white, strongly fragrant of Jasmin, the sepals are .4 to .52" [10 to 13 mm] long, the lateral lobes of the lip are sub-rectangular, slightly arching forward, and the bifid mid-lobe has long, falcate, oblong lobes, the width between the lateral and the mid-lobes about equal." Hagsater & Cisneros 2020

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1810 Hagsater & Santiago 2020 photos fide

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