Epidendrum hesperium Hágsater & E.Santiago 2004 GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Guacamayense

TYPE Photo by © J. S. Garcia Revelo

TYPE Drawing TYPE Drawing by © Lopez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Part Shade Cold LATER Spring EARLY Fall

Common Name The Hesperius Epidendrum [The Western Epidendrum refers to the western cordillera where the species is found]

Flower Size 1/2" [1.25 cm]

Found in Choco, Antioquia and Valle de Cauca departments of Colombia within bushes at elevations of 1720 to 1950 meters as a small sized, cold growing terrestrial with branching, terete, thin stems carrying all along the apical half of the stem, several, narrowly lanceolate, dorsally carinate, acute, margin minutely crenate, slightly revolute leaves that blooms in the later spring through early fall on a terminal, erect, racemose to rarely paniculate, occasionally 1 branched, erect to arching, peduncle short, hair-like, with an acuminate bract towards the apex, rachis zig-zag, successively few, to 15 flowered inflorescence with nearly as long as the ovaary, gradually shorter above, triangular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying distichous, reddish outside, pale green inside flowers.

"Epidendrum hesperium belongs to the GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Guacamayense which is recognized by the branching habit, the grass-like leaves and the distichous inflorescence with a zigzag rachis and filiform pedunde, the flowers fleshy, the lip cup-shaped and often embracing to overlapping over the column. The new species is recognized by the generally racemose inflorescence wlth up to 15 flowers, .28" [7 mm] long sepals, the long-narrow leaves, the entire lip about as long as it is wide and somewhat overlapping over the column. It is similar to Epidendrum triodon Hagsater & Dodson, which has a three dentate lip, the leaves half as long and wider, and the peduncle short and not filiform. The inflorescence is reminescent of Epidendrum bryophilum Hágsater & Dodson, which has the flowers quite distinct, with the column shorter and arching downwards, the nectary wider and the lip not overlapping above the column. Epidendrum elleanthoides Schltr. has smaller flowers, with sepals less than .2" [5 mm] long, the lip IS transversely elliptic, and the column is straight. Epidendrum campylostele Hágsater & R. Vásquez also has an incurved column, but the floral bud is foot-like, with a prominent heel, and the sepals falcate, the stigmatic cavity proportionately occupies most of the ventral surface of the column, the inflorescence is generally paniculate, each raceme with 2 to 4 flowers." Hagsater etal 2004

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 718 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 743 Hagsater & Santiago 2004 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 8 Plate 830 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Orchids of the Department of Valle De Cauca Colombia Vol 2 Kolanowska, Hagsater etal. 2014 drawing/photo fide; Orquideas de Farallones de Cali Galindo-Tarazona, Haelterman, Zuluaga Trochez and Sebastian Moreno 2020 photo fide

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