Epidendrum freireanum Hágsater & E.Santiago GROUP Philippii
Photo by Eric Hagsater/TYPE dissection by M. Salas © courtesy of Eric Hagsater and Icones Orchidacearum 16(1): t. 1619 Hagsater etal 2018
Common Name Freire's Epidendrum [Ecuadorian curator of the National Herbarium in Ecuador, QCNE, tree specialist, and who has accompanied the first author on several field trips throughout Ecuador, and collected extensively in that country current]
Flower Size .8" [1 cm]
Found in the upper eastern slope of the Cordillera Oriental in Napo province of Ecuador and northern Peru in cloud forest, at elevations of 1850 to 3550 meters as a miniature to medium sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte or lithophyte with simple, cane-like, terete at base, laterally compressed at the apex, erect, straight stems covered at base by non-foliar, scarious becoming fibrous though time sheaths and carrying 3 to 4, distributed towards the apical half of stem, alternate, articulate, sub-spreading, purple in color; sheath tubular, laterally compressed, striated, reddish purple, blade elliptic, acute, margin entire, spreading leaves thta blooms in the fall on a terminal, through a tubular along basal half, conduplicate above, somewhat ancipitose, sub-acute spathe, peduncle .8 to 2.4" [2 to 6 cm] long, terete, thin, erect, purple-brown, concolor, nearly totally hidden by the spathe, 4.4 to 8" [11 to 20 cm] long overall, apical, racemose to pluri-racemose, producing new racemes in successive years from the same peduncle, rachis 3.6 to 5.6" [9 to 14 cm] long, terete, thin straight, same color as the peduncle erect, laxly, successively from base towards the apex (usually at least 5 open at one time), [2] 4 to 11 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate, embracing, purple-brown floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, fishy scented flowers
Similar to E fruticetorum but differs in the smaller plant and flowers, sepals .64" [14 mm] long, flowers are green, lip pale green and column green, the lip with 3 narrow parallel ribs.
"Epidendrum freireanum belongs to the GROUP Philippii which is characterized by the sympodial, caespitose habit, few-leaved stems, flattened above, the erect to arching racemose to pluri-racemose inflorescence, producing new racemes from the same peduncle, in successive years, flowers generally non-resupinate, lip 3-lobed, the distal margins of the lateral lobes dentate to short fimbriate. The new species is recognized by the purple leaves and stems, flowers small, sepals .4" [10 mm] long, sepals, petals and basal half of column wine-red to purple-brown, apical half of column and lip ivory white, immaculate, the lip with a single wide mid-rib. E fruticetorum Schltr. is similar but larger in habit and flowers, sepals .64" [14 mm] long, flowers are green, lip pale green and column green, the lip with 3 narrow parallel ribs. Bennett and Christenson (1995) misidentified their plate of Epidendrum fruticetorum as E. odontospathum Schltr." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1607 Hagsater & Santiago 2018 See recognition section; *Icones Orchidacearum 16(1) Plate 1619 Hagsater etal 2018 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1721 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1793 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1880 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section
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