Epidendrum gnomus Schlechter 1921 GROUP Porpax SUBGROUP Porpax
Photo by © Patricia Harding
Photo by © Ron Parsons
Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Gnome-Like Epidendrum [refers to the small size of the plant]
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Peru in the eastern Andes at elevations of 1000 to 1600 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, terete, straight stems arising from the middle of the previous stem and carrying 7 to 8, alternate, distributed throughout the upper half of the stem, articulate, lanceolate, oblique, toothed apically, margins and keel minutely dentate towards the apex, succulent, smooth, dark green, unequal leaves with the middle ones being the largest and blooms in the summer on a terminal, sessile, short, single flowered inflorescence and ovary enveloped completely by a semi-oblong, conduplicate spathe all arising from a mature growth, occuring only once with a single, resupinate flower.
"Epidendrum gnomus is closely related to E. viridibrunneum Rchb.f. of the GROUP Porpax SUBGROUP Porpax, from which it is recognized by the globose, divergent callii, the cordate base of the lip and the globose vesicle on the underside of the ovary. Both species have dentate margins of the lip. In Epidendrum maxthompsonianum Hágsater & Dalstrom the column is oblique, the petals are oblong, relatively wide, forming a cucullate hood with the dorsal sepal over the column, in natural position, the lip is orbicular. Epidendrum mathewsii Rchb.f. which also grows in the region has larger plants but similar sized flowers, with the lip reniform, convex, 3-keeled with entire margins, and the nectary is elongate and does not form a globose vesicle on the underside of the ovary. By comparison, the plants of E. gnomus look like small specimens of E. mathewsii. This group of species has generally been relegated to synonymy of E. porpax Rchb.f. or E. peperomia Rchb.f." Hagsater etal 2007
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 9: 85 Schlechter 1921; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. Figuren-Atlas 57: 558 Schlechter 1929 drawing fide; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 9 513 - 576 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977 as Nanodes gnomus; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 739 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1128 Hagsater & Sanchez 2007 drawing ok; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1140 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1771 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 see recognition section
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