Epidendrum falsiloquum Rchb.f. 1885 GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Porphyreum
Inflorescence in situ Cundinamarca Colombia
Inflorescence Photos by Jay Pfahl ©
Another Flower Photo by Rafael Robles © Photo by © Sebastian Moreno and his Flickr Orchid Photo Website
Drawing Drawing by © Jimenez and The Herbarium AMO Website
Common Name or Meaning The False Speech Epidendrum [refers to the decieving aspect of the plant that at first glance appears to be E verrucosum, but the flowers are similar to E floribundum]
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]
Found in Cundinamarca, Quindio and Putomayo departments of central and southern Colombia at elevations around 2700 to 3000 meters as a large to giant sized, cold growing terrestrial with simple, cane-like, laterally compressed, erect, straight stems carrying 9 to 12, alternate, articulate, suberect, spreading, oblong-elliptic, acuminate leaves that blooms in the spring and again in the earlier fall on a terminal, arising through a narrow spathe, paniculate, suberect, 10 to 12.8" [25 to 32 cm] long including the laterally compressed peduncle enveloped almost completely by 2 to 3, tubular, narrowly triangular, acuminate, short bracts, simultaneously to 180 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate, amplexicaul floral bracts.
This species has white pedicels and a white back to the flowers which makes it very noticable in the forest as well as its very strong fragrance that can be detected from several meters away.
"Epidendrum falsiloquum belongs to the GROUP Pseudepidendrum characterized by caespitose plants, cane-like stems, acute to acuminate leaves, apical inflorescence, lacking a spathaceous bract, the petals filiform and the lip usually 3-lobed, with 3 parallel fleshy keels, the apical lobe often bifurcate, and the pollinia “bird-wing” type and SUBGROUP Porphyreum which has green and white flowers, often parked with purple on the disc of the lip and apex of the column. The species is recognized by the white-ochraceous flowers, with 3 purple lines on the keels of the disc, and a pair of purple dots at the apex of the column, very fleshy sepals .28 to .32" [7 to 8 mm] long, the lateral lobes of the lip sub-orbicular, the width between the lateral lobes and between the mid-lobe about equal. Epidendrum arnoldi Schltr. has much shorter leaves (ca. 3.2" [8 cm] long, similar sized flowers with sepals .32" [8 mm] long, but the flowers are lilac-pink, and the lateral lobes of the lip are dolabriform. Epidendrum aguirrei Hágsater has shorter plants, to 16.8" [42 cm] tall, the leaves lanceolate, 2.6 to 4" [6.5 to 10 cm] long, and the flowers green with the lip white with a purple blotch on each side of the disc; sepals .2 to .24" [5 to 6 mm] long. Epidendrum angaritae Hágsater has large flowers, sepals .68 to .76" [17 to 19 mm] long, the flowers olive green with the sepals dorsally brown, the lip white with purple lines of the disc." Hagsater etal 2010
"Epidendrum falsiloquum is recognized by the relatively small flowers, general ochre-white with the lip white or white tinged pink-lilac, the disc with 3 to 5 purplerose lines, the sepals .28 to .4" [7 to 10 mm] long, obovate-oblanceolate, and the lateral lobes of the lip rectangular-sub-quadrate, the mid-lobe bifid, divaricate, but the width of the mid-lobe narrower than the width between the lateral lobes. Epidendrum arnoldi Schltr. is vegetatively similar but the flowers lilac-rose to fuchsia, the disc of the lip white, immaculate, the sepals .32to .46" [8.0 to 10.5 mm] long, oblanceolate spatulate, and the lateral lobes of the lip dolabriform-trapezoid. Epidendrum fastigiatum Lindl. has sepals .36" [9 mm] long, oblanceolate, and the lateral lobes of the lip rounded, the width between the lateral lobes narrower than between the bifid mid-lobe with its strongly divaricate lobes. Epidendrum coconucoense Hágsater, E.Santiago & Uribe-Vélez has similar pink colored flowers, the sepals and lip blotched with purple, and the disc and calli purple." Hagsater etal 2021
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 7: 247 Schlechter 1920; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1330 Hagsater & Sanchez 2010 drawing good; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [2] Plate 1599 Hagsater & Sanchez 2016 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 Photo good; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1610 Hagsater & Santiago 2018 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1857 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1868 & 1868a Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 LCDP/Photo fide
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