IOSPE PHOTOS

Epidendrum fritzianum Hoehne 1952 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Fritzianum Type for the subgroup

Photo by © Gary Meyers and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

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

Common Name or Meaning Fritz's Epidendrum

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Colombia?, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia on the eastern slope of the Andes at elevations of 2800 to 3400 meters as a large sized, cold growing terrestrial with erect, straight, cane-like, few branched, subapically on the previous stem when mature, the branches themselves shortly branching, thin, straight stems carrying 24 to 30, all along the main stem, the branches, carrying 6 to 16, all along both, alternate, spreading, somewhat arched, subcoriaceous, ovate-elliptic, obtuse, sometimes somewhat revolute leaves that blooms at most any time of the year, on a terminal, occuring only once, racemose, arching-nutant, 1.6 to 3.8" [4 to 9 cm] long including the .16" [4 mm] long peduncle, simultaneously 16 to 32 flowered inflorescence with prominent, generally as long as the ovary, triangular-lanceolate, long-acuminate, dorsally verrucose, green with purple dots floral bracts.

"Epidendrum fritzianum belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Fritzianum and is the type for the subgroup 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 tall plants, to 60" [1.5 meters], the leaves ovate-elliptic, somewhat arched of the main stem, 1.4 to 2.4" x .08 to .96" [3.5 to 6 x 2 to 2.4 cm]; flowers green, dotted purple, the sepals dorsally verrucose, .36" [9 mm] long, the lip with the disc fleshy, midlobe trapezoid. Epidendrum pittieri Ames, apparently endemic to Colombia, has shorter plants, to 24" [60 cm] tall, leaves ovate to ovate-oblong,.8 to 1.2" x .28 to .44" [2 to 3 x 0.7 to 1.1 cm], flowers creamy white to yellowish green, sepals unornamented, .48 to .56" [12 to 14 mm] long, and the lip has 3, low keels, the midlobe is oblong. Epidendrum scabrum Ruiz & Pavón has shorter, narrower leaves, 1 to 1.48" x .32 to .56" [2.5 to 3.7 x 0.8 to 1.4 cm], the inflorescence is paniculate with yellow flowers, sepals .352 to .4" [8.8 to 10 mm] long, the midlobe of the lip sub-ovoid." Hagsatrer etal 2009

Synonyms Epidendrum aurorae Dodson & D.E.Benn. 1989 text only/ Drawing = E chaoticum; Epidendrum polyphyllum F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. 1899;

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