Epidendrum gibbosum L.O.Williams 1941 GROUP Ramosum SUBGROUP Platystigma

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

TYPE Drawing

Drawing by © L O Williams and The Plant Illustration Website

MID MID

Common Name or Meaning The Humped Epidendrum [refers to the lip base]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Costa Rica and Panama in oak and rain forests on the Pacific slope at elevations of 2100 to 3150 meters as a large to giant sized, cold growing epiphyte or terrestrial with branched, terete stems carrying numerous, all along the main and secondary stems, deciduous when branched, branches persistent, smaller, both coriaceous, narrowly elliptic, obliquely bilobed leaves that blooms in the mid winter through mid summer on a terminal, arising on the branches, racemose, distichous, erect to arcuate, 1.4 to 2.4" [3.5 to 6 cm] long including the very short, laterally compressed, erect peduncle, simultaneously 4 to 6 flowered inflorescence with a conduplicate, widely ovate, obtuse bract that partially covers the peduncle and much longer than the ovary, conduplicate, widely ovate, acute floral bracts and carrying 4 to 6, simultaneously opening, greenish white flowers with the lip tinged with red.

"Epidendrum gibbosum belongs to the GROUP Ramosum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching stems, the spike-like, distichous inflorescence, and the single callus, and the SUBGROUP Platystigma which has Vanda-like plants when young; before branching occurs, with long, strap-like leaves. The species is recognized by the large plants with narrowly elliptic leaves, secondary and tertiary branches with leaves 1.2 to 4.8" x .28 to .8" [3 to 12 x 0.7 to 2 cm], the floral bracts .4 to .76" [1 to 1.9 cm] long, flowers greenish white, sometimes the lip tinged with red, ovary straight, lateral sepals strongly carinate; keel erose, lip subquadrate, base cordate. It is very similar to Epidendrum platystigma Rchb. f. but that species has longer leaves, white flowers, the lateral sepals slightly carinate and the lip subtriangular. Epidendrum platystigma Hágsater & Carda-Cruz also has white flowers, an ovate, acute lip, the base truncate. Epidendrum campbellstigma Hágsater & Carda-Cruz has apple green flowers, the lip white, an arcuate ovary, subreniform lip, with the base cordate, clinandrium as long as the column, entire. Epidendrum penneystigma Hágsater & Carda-Cruz has white flowers, and a semicircular-flabellate lip. Epidendrum jefestigma Hágsater & Carda-Cruz, has whitish green flowers, a white, suborbicular lip with the base truncate, and a callus bilobate." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms Epidendrum acrostigma Hágsater & García-Cruz 1999

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 301 Hagsater 1999 as E acrostigma drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1127 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 drawing fide; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 photo fide;

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