Epidendrum fritzicardium Hágsater & E.Santiago 2009 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Fritzianum

Drawing by © Lopez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name Heart-Shaped E fritzianum-Like Epidendrum [Refers to its similarity to E fritzianum but with a heart shaped acuminate lip]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in southern Ecuador on the upper Amazon slope of the Andes at elevations around 2850 meters as a miniature to medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with cane-like, terete, erect, subapically branching, below the leaves stems carrying 5 to 7, on the branches, all along the apical half, alternate, articulate, spreading, coriaceous, ovate-elliptic, obtuse, margin minutely ciliate leaves that blooms on a terminal, occuring only once, racemose to paniculate, arching-nutant, peduncle short, subterete, with a narrowly triangular, acuminate bract, laxly, simultaneously 3 to 10 flowered inflorescence with prominent, nearly as long as the ovary, triangular-lanceolate, long-acuminate, amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers.

"Epidendrum fritzicardium 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 racemose to paniculate, lax flowered inflorescence, the sepals and petals partly spreading, the cordiform, short acuminate lip with a narrowly triangular callus, pubescent in the hollow. Epidendrum fritzianum is vegetatively somewhat similar, but the inflorescence is racemose, densely-flowered, sepals and petals are spreading, and the lip is 3- lobed and bicallose, with a thickened, fleshy, rounded disc. The type of branching, paniculate inflorescence, entire, acuminate lip and pubescence in the hollow of the callus and extending into the nectary are quite peculiar, and would seem to suggest a hybrid origin, though we cannot recognize the possible parents." Hagsater etal 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1246 2009 Hágsater & Santiago 2009 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1331 Hagsater & Santiago 2010 See recognition section;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------