Epidendrum gualaquicense Hágsater & Dodson 2001 GROUP Cristatum SUBGROUP Cnemidophorum

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

Common Name or Meaning The Gualiquiza Epidendrum [The Type locality in Ecuador]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in southeastern Ecuador on the eastern slopes in disturbed primary forests at elevations around 1450 meters as a small sized, cool growing epiphyte with erect, cane-like, terete, simple, straight stems carrying numerous, linear-lanceolate, acuminate leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, racemose, suberect, producing new racemes in time, 6.4" [16 cm] long inflorescence including the peduncle completely enveloped by imbricating, spathaceous, conduplicate bracts, simultaneously 7 to 9 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, ovate, acuminate floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate flowers with the tepals greeen and a white lip.

"Epidendrum gualaquicense belongs to the GROUP Cristatum SUBGROUP Cnemidophorum , recognized by the cane-like stems, numerous large, narrow leaves, apical inflorescence subtended by several large, acute, imbricating bracts, racemose, nutant inflorescence with fleshy flowers, the three-lobed lip with entire margins. The species is recognized by the green and white flowers, sepals .84" [21 mm] long and the midlobe of the lip obcuneate, shallowly sinuate at the apex, the corners rounded. It is somewhat similar to Epidendrum oraion Hágsater from northern Colombia which has fuchsia and white colored flowers, the basal lobes semi-orbicular, and the lobes of the bilobed midlobe strongly divaricate, leaves .8 to 1.2" [2 to 3 cm] wide. Epidendrum harrisoniae Hook. from the Organ Mountains in eastern Brazil has green and white flowers, but the obcuneate midlobe has lobes about the same size as the lateral lobes and similarly shape" Hagsater etal 2001

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icone Orchidacearum 4 Plate 442 Hagsater & Dodson 2001drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 940 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section;

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