Epidendrum guanacastense Ames & C.Schweinf. 1930 GROUP Ramosum SUBGROUP Isomerum
TYPE LCDP by © R. Jiménez M. & A. Cisneros /TYPE Photo by R. Jiménez M. and The AMO Herbario Website
Specimen and drawing by The Epidendra Webpage
What has been known as E cocleense
Collection Sheet of Holotype by © L.O.Williams and Epidendra Website
LATER THROUGH MID
Common Name The Guanacaste Epidendrum [An area of northeastern Costa Rica]
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]
Found in Costa Rica and Panama in wet forests low in valleys along rivers at elevations of sealevel to 1000 meters as a large to giant sized, hot to warm growing, hanging epiphtye with a pendent, somewhat branching, cane-like, terete stem, the secondary stems scarce, numerous, short floral branches originating from the primary and secondary stems as well as from the subapical internode of the previous stem and carrying numerous all along the main stem, 6 to 10 along the secondary and 3 to 4 on the flowering stems, all coriaceous, unequally sized, aggregate towards the apical 1/4 of the stems, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, shortly mucronate, slightly carinate leaves that blooms in the later summer through mid winter on a terminal, occuring only once, short, lax inflorescence arising on the secondary and flowering stems, with imbricating, as long as the ovary, ovate-oblong, rounded floral bracts and carrying 2 to 4 rarely 5, simultaneously opening, green turning amber yellow flowers with the lip always facing the rachis.
Close to the widespread E. isomerum Schltr. but this one has stems that are .12 to .16" [.3 to .4 cm] in diameter a zigzag inflorescence carrying 2 to 3 flowers.
" Epidendrum guanacastense belongs to the GROUP Ramosum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching stems, the spike-like, distichous inflorescence, and the single “Y” shaped callus, and the SUBGROUP Isomerum which is recognized by the pendent plants, very narrow, acuminate leaves, and 1 to rarely 5 flowers. The species is recognized by the leaves of the primary stem 5 to 6" x .32 to .44" [12.5 to 15.0 x 0.8 to 1.1 cm], a 2 to 5 flowered distichous inflorescence, and sepals .32 to .4" [8.0 to 10.0 mm] long. It is similar to the much more widespread E. isomerum Schltr. which also has linear leaves, but a single flowered inflorescence with linear-Ianceolate, acuminate floral segments, and the lip linear-triangular." Hagsater etal 2020
Synonyms Epidendrum cocleense Ames, F.T.Hubb. & C.Schweinf. 1936
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936 as E cocleense; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956 as E cocleense; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956; The Orchids of Panama L.O. Williams & P Allen 1946 as E cocleense; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 944 Hagsater & Sanchez 2007 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1200 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1769 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 LCDP/Photo fide;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------