Drawing by © R Jimenez and The AMO Herbario Website

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Common Name Garay's Epidendrum [Hungarian Born American Taxomonist and former Oakes Ames Orchid Herbarium Director at Harvard University Died 2016]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Ecuador in cloud forests at elevations of 3000 to 4000 meters as a small sized, pendant, cold growing epiphyte with stems formed by up to 5 nodes, the lower nodes totally covered by imbricating, grey, laxly infundibuliform, obliquely acute, dorsally carinate sheaths and carrying 2 to 4 per stem from the apical internode, one from the apex, the others from imbricating foliar sheaths, pendent, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, dorsally carinate-cuspidate, coriaceous leaves that blooms in the winter on a sessile, from the apex of the stem, apparently single flowered inflorescence with ovate-triangular, shorter than the ovary floral bract and carrying a pendent, facing downwards, dirty purple-green according to collector; fragrance not registered.

Dr Garay originally described this orchid Pleuranthium cardiochilum in 1953, Lřjtnant in 1977 moved P cardiophyllum into Epidendrum and renamed it Epidendrum garayii in honor of Dr Garay. Alls well with that but Lřjtnant used a different orchid specimen to do his illustration which was in error and is not E garayii therefore that species was renamed Epidendrum falsigarayi Hágsater & Karremans in 2019 by Hagsater & Karremans.

"Epidendrum garayi belongs to the GROUP Kalopternix SUBGROUP Garayi which is recognized by pendent chain of stems, arising each from a sub-apical internode of the previous stem, each with 1 to 3 linear-lanceolate leaves [in the primary stem there are up to 6 leaves in a fan], inflorescence apical, flowering only once, 1 to 2 flowered, the flowers non-resupinate, greenish to red or yellow, de lip cordiform, ecallose. The species is recognized by having 2 to 4 leaved stems, the leaves linear-lanceolate, .68 to 2" x .08 to .16" [1.7 to 5.0 x 0.2 to 0.4 cm], flowers dirty purplish green, sepals .4 to .48" x .12 to .16" [10 to 12 x 3.0 to 4.0 mm], oblong-lanceolate, aristate, petals .42 to .46" x .1 to .12" [10.5 to 11.5 x 2.5 to 3.0 mm], falcate-lanceolate, acuminate, and lip cordiform with the apex acuminate. Epidendrum falsigarayi Hágsater & Karremans has 3 to 6 leaves per stem, leaves 1 t o2" x .12 to .2" [2.5 to 5.0 x 0.3 to 0.5 cm], 1 brick-red flower, sepals .48 to .492" x .24 to .252" [12.0 to 12.3 x 6.0 to 6.3 mm], ovate, acuminate, petals, .344 x .176" [8.6 x 4.4 mm], triangular ovate, acute, and lip .292 x .374" [7.3 x 9.6 mm], widely cordiform, apiculate. E. garayi is closely related to Epidendrum ilinizae and E. carmelense Hágsater & Dodson each having a single leaf at the apex of the stem, covered by sheaths which are quite distinct from the apical leaf, while in E. garayi the sheaths bear leaf blades identical to the apical leaves. These species have been incorrectly described as having a lateral inflorescence, due to a misinterpretation of the growth mode. Epidendrum wolfii Hágsater & E.Santiago has short, bifoliate, cane-like stems, bearing 2, linear-lanceolate leaves .44 to 1.08" [1.1 to 2.7 cm] long, a sessile, two-flowered inflorescence, successive and opposite, pink, immaculate flowers, the lip widely cordiform with the apex obtuse, the disc with a single evident, low, wide rib running down the middle. Epidendrum carmelense Hágsater & Dodson forms unifoliate pseudobulbs at the end of the stems, the leaves are 1.4 to 3.4" [3.5 to 8.5 cm] long, with 1 to 2 greenish to ochre flowers with minute reddish dots, the lip is reniform, apically rounded, without any ribs. Epidendrum palalabrum Hágsater has acuminate, non-foliar bracts, a single leaf 2 to 3.48" x .24 to .32" [5.0 to 8.7 x 0.6 to 0.8 cm], sepals .52 to .56" x .148 to .16" [13 to 14 x 3.7 to 4.0 mm], lanceolate, acuminate, 3-veined, petals .468 x .1" [11.7 x 2.5 mm], lanceolate, acuminate, and lip .364 x .296" [9.1 x 7.4 mm], shovel-shaped, base truncate, basal half quadrate, apical half triangular, apex acuminate." Hagsater etal 1999/2019

Synonyms *Pleuranthium cardiochilum Garay 1953 nom illegal

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bot Notiser 130 Lojtnant 1977 drawing not see E falsigarayii; Icones Orchidacearum 2 Plate 120 Hagsater 1993 see recognition section of E carmelense; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 1 Dodson & Escobar 1994; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 337 Hagsater 1999 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 473 Hagsater 2001 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1496 Hagsater & Santiago 2013 See recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1720 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1722 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 Drawing/collection sheet fide; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1728 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1747 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section

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