Epidendrum farfanii Hágsater, E.Santiago & Uribe Vélez 2018 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Fritzianum Photos by Jay Pfahl
Photo by Carlos Uribe V./TYPE drawing by R. Jiménez M. © courtesy of Eric Hagsater and Icones Orchidacearum 16(1): t. 1618 Hagsater etal 2018
Common Name Farfan's Epidendrum [Colombian Julián Camilo Farfán Camargo, proffesor at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá current]
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Cundinamarca and Boyaca departments of Colombia in subparamo at elevations of 3000 to 3200 meters as a medium to large sized, cold growing terrestrial or epiphyte with cane-like, branching above, terete, sub-erect, straight, thin; the main stem to 40" [100 cm] tall, the branches much shorter stems carrying, 25 to 30 on the main stem, 5 to 9 on the branches; distributed throughout the stems, alternate, articulate, those of the main stem larger than those of the branches, distichous, erect to sub-parallel to the stem, coriaceous, green with the margin purple sheath tubular, minutely striated, tinged with brown, blade ovate-oblong, acute to acuminate, margin entire, slightly revolute in herbarium material leaves that blooms in at any time of the year on a terminal, without a spathe, 2.8 to 3.2" [7 to 8 cm] long, peduncle .28" [7 mm] long, sub-terete, thin, racemose, flowering only once, arching-nutant, laxly, simultaneously 11 to 20 flowered inflorescence prominent, sometimes slightly longer than the ovary, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, clasping floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers.
"Epidendrum farfanii belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Fritzianum characterized by the monopodial stems branched above, the ovate to ovate-elliptic, acute to short-acuminate leaves, lateral sepals obliquely united to the base of the column, and clearly 3-lobed lip. The species is recognized by the plants to 40" [100 cm] tall, with sub-apical branching, leaves ovate-oblong, 1.52 x .6" [3.8 x 1.5 cm] (on the main stem), inflorescence arching-nutant, flowers creamy-white dorsally tinged purple, lip convex, lateral lobes hemi-elliptic, sepals .52 to .56" [13 to 14 mm] long, apex acuminate. It has been confused with Epidendrum pittieri Ames as it is vegetatively very similar, but the flowers are greenish white, lip spreading with the lateral lobes dolabriform, sepals apically acute, with purple dots. Epidendrum fritzianum Hoehne has elliptic leaves 1.4 to 2.4" x .8 to .96" [3.5 to 6.0 x 2.0 to 2.4 cm] (on the main stem), green flowers with the apex of the column purple, sepals .36" [9 mm] long, apically acute; the lip clearly 3-lobed with the mid-lobe trapezoid, and a fleshy, short rib at the base of the disc. However, as the species has been generally confused with Epidendrum pittieri, and because of the difficulty in identifying Epidendrum species, plants are usually passed over by general collectors." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16(1): t. 1618 Hagsater etal 2018 drawing/photo fide;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
