Epidendrum grayumii Hágsater & E.Santiago 2009 GROUP Alberti SUBGROUP Allenii

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

Common Name or Meaning Grayum's Epidendrum [American Botanist at MOBOT and Orchid Collector in Costa Rica current]

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in Costa Rica at elevations around 700 to 950 meters as a medium sized, warm growing epiphyte with terete, at the base, laterally compressed and ancipitose above, cane-like, erect, stem carrying 7, all along the stem, alternate, articulate, suberect, narrowly elliptic, long acuminate leaves that blooms in the spring on a terminal, from the mature stem, occuring only once, racemose, erect, 6.4 to 8" [16 to 20 cm] long including the 3.6 to 4" [9 to 10 cm] long, erect, straight, ancipitose, two winged, the wings gradually narrower towards the apex peduncle, rachis totally hidden by the floral bracts, successively single, many flowered inflorescence with ovate-elliptic, rounded, conduplicate, imbricate, persistent somewhat shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying resupinate, greenish white flowers with purple tinged sepals.

"Epidendrum grayumii belongs to the GROUP Alberti which is characterized by the sympodial habit, laterally compressed to ancipitose or somewhat fusiform-thickened stems, the apical or apical and lateral racemose, distichous inflorescence more or less with imbricating bracts on the peduncle, producing one flower at a time, and the SUBGROUP Allenii which is characterized by the stems with numerous leaves, the apical inflorescence (rarely lateral), peduncle elongate, bare, non-bract bearing, two-winged, the rachis short, covered by rounded, usually imbricating, bracts. The species is recognized by the 20" [50 cm] tall plants with narrowly elliptic, acuminate leaves, greenish white flowers somewhat tinged purple, sepals .44 to .48" [11 to 12 mm] long, the elliptic lip cuneate at the base, the margin crenate, with a pair of small calli and without keels. Epidendrum lankesteri Ames has somewhat larger flowers, sepals .52 to .56" [13 to 16 mm] long, a sub-cordate lip with 3 evident keels, the margin entire. Epidendrum maduroi Hágsater & García Cruz has apical and lateral inflorescences, bronze to greenish colored flowers, peduncle covered by 1 to 3 bracts, sepals .44 to .6" [11 to 15 mm] long, a sub-reniform lip with 3 low keels." Hagsater etal 2009

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1251 Hagsater & Santiago 2009 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1489 Hagsater & Santiago 2013 See recognition section;

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