Epidendrum sodiroi Schltr. 1916 GROUP Sodiroi
LCDP Photo by © R. Medina & A. Cisneros and Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1838 2020
Photos by © Lourens Grobler
Common Name Sodiro's Epidendrum [Plant Collector in Ecuador early 1900's]
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru at elevations of 1000 to 2550 meters as a large to giant sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial or rarely epiphytic on Psidium guajava on exposed montane slopes or on exposed rock with erect then droopy, simple, cane-like, terete, erect, straight stems enveloped by leafless and leaf bearing sheaths and carrying to 30, all along the stem, alternate, articulate, spreading, at right angles tthe stem, narrowly oblong-elliptic, basally clasping, acute to short acuminate, somewhat plicate, thin, non-coriaceous, margin entire leaves that blooms in the spring and early summer on a terminal, without a spathe, arising on a mature stem, paniculate, erect to slightly arching, peduncle to 5.2" [13 cm] long, sub-terete, straight, scarcely pilose, provided with up to 4 amplexicaul, long-acuminate bracts, rachis up to 14.8" [37 cm] long, sub-terete, densely muricate, provided with 14 to 16 branches 2.4 to 11.2" [6 to 28 cm] long, these themselves branched, the secondary branches shorter, 1.6 to 2.8" [4 TO 7 cm] long, spreading, densely many-flowered, each subtended by a narrowly triangular, long-acuminate, embracing bract 1.5-7 cm long, simultaneoskuly many flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying resupinate, diurnally, sweetly fragrant flowers..
Epidendrum sodiroi belongs to the GROUP Sodiroi which is characterized by the tall plants with thick cane-like stems, the leaves slightly plicate, thin, the lip slightly 3- lobed, the margin erose-dentate to fimbriate, the dorsal surface of the sepals and ovary verrucose to muricate. The species is recognized by the dorsally densely muricate sepals, flowers green to greenish brown, the petals with the margin sparse short ciliate towards the apex, with the lip white, the disc of the lip, calli and column with a solid red-purple, the margin lacerate, involute in natural position. Epidendrum calothyrsus Schltr. is vegetatively very similar, but the flowers are pale brown, the petals and base of the column green, the lip convex, transversely elliptic, base cordate, the margin dentate and the disc of the lip immaculate. Epidendrum muricatoides Hágsater & Dodson has the floral bracts very prominent, floral segments scarcely muricate, flowers ochraceus to green, the petals with an entire margin, and the lip immaculate creamy white, the margin of the lip slightly erose, base cordate. Epidendrum cesarfernandezii Carnevali & I.Ramírez has green flowers, petals filiform with the margin entire, and the lip white (sometimes diffusely tinged pink), transversely elliptic, convex, the margin finely fimbriate
Synonyms Epidendrum goodspeedianum A.D.Hawkes 1957; Epidendrum muricatum Rchb.f. 1856
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854 as E muricatum; Orchids of Peru Vol 2 Fieldiana Schweinfurth 1959 as Epidendrum muricatum; Fieldiana Biology, Vol 33, 1st Supple. to the Orchids of Peru Schweinfurth 1970; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 470 Dodson 1989 as E goodspeedianum drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 2 Plate 161 Hagsater 1993 as E goodspeedianum see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum plate 047 Bennet & Christenson 1993 as E goodspeedianum photo fide; Native Ecuadorian Orchids vol 2 Dodson 2001 as E goodspeedianum photo fide; Orquideas Nativas del Tachira Cesar Fernandez 2003 as E goodspeedianum photo not; Machu Picchu Orchids Christenson 2003 as E goodspeedianum; Orchid Digest Vol 71 No 1 2007 as E goodspeedianum photo fide; Orquideologia 29: 1 Hagsater & Medina 2012 as E goodspeedianum photo fide; Orchids of the Department of Valle De Cauca Colombia Vol 2 Kolanowska, Hagsater etal. 2014 as E goodspeedianum drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #4 2016 as E goodspeedianum photo fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 as E goodspeedianum drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1836 Hagsater & Santiago 2020 see reconition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1838 Hagsater & Santiago 2020 photos fide
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