Epidendrum grayi Hágsater & Dodson 1993 GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Pilcuense

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

Part ShadeHot Winter Spring Summer Fall

Common Name or Meaning Gray's Epidendrum [Australian Botanist and Orchid Collector in Ecuador current]

Flower Size .5" [1.2 cm]

Found in northernmost Ecuador at elevations around 500 to 800 meters as a medium sized, warm growing lithophyte with terete cane-like, branching near the apex when mature stem carrying all along the stem, linear-lanceolate, acute, revolute leaves that blooms at most any time of the year on a terminal, from the mature stem, occuring only once, paniculate, erect, 3.6" [9 cm] long including the short peduncle, successively to 20 flowered inflorescence with spreading, ovate-triangular, acute, much shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, somewhat fleshy, pale orange flowers.

"Epidendrum grayii is part of the GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Pilcuense characterized by the thin, monopodial stems, branching above when mature, sheaths rugose, inflorescence apical, erect, paniculate, lax-flowered, lacking any spathe, small flowers, and sub-entire to deeply 3-lobed, fleshy lip embracing the apex of the column, 1-callose, the disc of the lip and floor of the nectary opposite the stigmatic cavity pilose. The species is recognized by the slender, branching stems, very narrow leaves with the margins revolute, paniculate inflorescence, and successive, small flowers with 3-lobed lip and nectary profusely pilose in the surface opposite to the stigmatic cavity. The flowers are somewhat similar to those of E. pilcuense Hágsater & Dodson, which is distinguished by the much larger plants, unbranched stems, oblique leaves at least twice larger in linear measurements and sparsely dentate along the margina, and the papillose-pilose lateral lobes of the lip." Hagsater etal 1993

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 2 Plate 137 Hagsater & Dodson 1993 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 439 Hagsater 2001 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1512 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section;

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