Epidendrum ilinizaincomptum Hágsater 2018 GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Incomptum
LCDP Photo © by E. Hágsater & C. Álvarez/TYPE Photo © by Eric Hagsater and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Iliniza Mountain Incomptum Subgroup Epidendrum [refers to the Ilinizas mountains, in central Ecuador, and the fact that the species belongs to the Incomptum Subgroup]
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in Ecuador in the valley southwest of the twin Ilinizas mountains, on brush covered hill, amongst ferns and other orchids, on bushes at elevations around 2913 meters as a large sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, terete, straight, the new stem originating from a middle internode of the previous stem, gradually becoming thinner and shorter stems carrying 2 to 5, aggregate towards apex of the stem, alternate, articulate, erect-spreading, unequal in size, sub-coriaceous; with a tubular, minutely striated, becoming fibrous with time leaf sheath; blade oblong-elliptic, acute, margin entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle wide, laterally compressed, ancipitose, arching, rachis straight, 2.4" [6 cm]long ovarall, apical, flowering only once, racemose, arching successively several at a time, to about 10 flowered inflorescence with , about half as long as the ovary, triangular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying resupinate, green-brown flowers with the lip green-brown to brown, calli yellow, column green, the apex somewhat tinged olive brown and fragrance none registered.
"Epidendrum ilinizaincomptum belongs to the GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Incomptum which is characterized by the successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, a short apical inflorescence with fleshy green to violet-green flowers with short ovaries, the lip entire to 3-lobed. The species is recognized by the large, green-brown flowers, sepals .72 to .76" [18 to 19 mm] long, the wide lip .748 x 1.04" [18.7 x 25.5 mm], with the mid-lobe .28 x .6" [7 x 15 mm]; emarginate, transversely quadrate-obcuneate, the apical margin forming two semi-orbicular, oblique lobes. Epidendrum macuchiense Hágsater & E.Santiago has green flowers, the deeply 3-lobed lip, twice as wide as it is long, .344 X .644" [8.6 x 16.1 mm], the lateral lobes semi-orbicular, and sub-quadratecuneate, emarginate mid-lobe, and thin, linear-oblanceolate petals .432 X .04" [10.8 x 1 mm]. It resembles Epidendrum homoion Hágsater & Dodson, having a very similar shaped lip .56 to .64 x 1.04 to 1.12" [14 to 16 x 26 to 28 mm], but lateral lobes semi-orbicular, obtrullate petals which are proportionately much wider .34 x .24 to .26" [8.5 x 6.0 to 6.5 mm]; the sepals and petals are green and the lip olive-green to purplish green. Epidendrum boekei Hágsater also has a 3-lobed lip, but it is nearly as long as it is wide, .44 to .56" x .56 to .72" [11 to 14 x 14 to 18 mm], the lateral lobes are slightly retrorse, petals narrowly oblanceolate, apex rounded .46 x .12 to .24" [11.5 x 3 to 6 mm], and the calli are narrower and divergent. Epidendrum curtisii A.D.Hawkes (= Epidendrum superpositum Garay from Venezuela has pale green flowers of similar shape but smaller, sepals .32 to .48" [8 to 12 cm], and the lip is 2 to 3.6 x 4 to 4.8" [5 to 9 x 10 to 14 cm]." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1675 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide;
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