Epidendrum gratiosum Rchb.f., 1856 GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Paniculatum

Drawing by © Rchb.f and The Harvard University Herbaria Website

Common Name The Pleasing Epidendrum

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in Peru as a nearly repent plant habit with a repent stem carrying in the upper half, linear-lanceolate, acute leaves that blooms through a spathe, terminal, erect, branching, several flowered inflorescence.

"E. gratiosum Rchb. f. belongs to the GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Paniculatum and can be distinguished by its simultaneous flowers, .2 to .24" [5 to 6 mm] long sepals, .44 to .72" [11 to 18 mm] wide leaves, the lip marked with purple at the sides of the disk, and the floral bracts shorter than the ovary. The species is recognized by its nearly repent plant habit, small, simultaneously opening flowers and an immaculate lip. It is closely related to E. parviflorum, which has smaller flowers, the sepals being .16 to .2" [4 to 5 mm] long, narrower leaves, .3 to .52" [7.5 to 13 mm] wide, and immaculate flowers. Other species with small, simultaneous flowers and immaculate lips are Epidendrum agurrei, E. longibracteatum Hágsater which has prominent floral bracts often longer than the ovary; E. yungasense Rolfe has a longer .24" [6 mm] long, slender column. E. cirrhochilum Lehm. & Kraenzl. has simultaneous flowers with .28" [7 mm] long sepals, and long, acuminate apical lobes of the lip some .28" [7 mm] long, the disc marked with purple. The following species have successive flowers with immaculate lips: E. macbridei C. Schweinf. usually has one flower at a time; E. subnutans Ames & C. Schweinf. has sepals about .24" [6 mm] long, with many flowers in various stages of development on a many branched inflorescence; E. poeppigii Hágsater has very long, narrow leaves 3.6 to 6.8" x .48 to .68" [9 to 17 x 1.2 to 1.7 cm] long. Adapted from plate 302 Hagsater etal 1999

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 302 Hagsater 1999 see recogntion section;

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