Epidendrum intermixtum Ames & C.Schweinf. 1930 GROUP Oerstedella SUBGROUP Intermixtum
Inflorescence with mixed leaves
Photos by © Karremans, Used under permission of the The Epidendra Website
Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
THROUGH 
Common Name The Mixed Epidendrum [refers to the inflorescence being mingled with the leaves]
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]
Found in Costa Rica on the Atlantic slope at elevations around 1200 to 1950 meters as a small to large sized, cool growing epiphyte or rarely terrestrial with a simple, occasionally making keikis, cane-like, terete, thin, erect, straight stems carrying 5 to 8, on the apical half, alternate, articulate, deciduous, subcoriaceous, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, rounded, unequally bilobed, margin entire leaves that blooms in the summer through fall on an apical and lateral, [apical paniculate, lateral racemose to somewhat paniculate] short, terete, thin, lax, 3 to 7 [15 to 50 on a plant] flowered inflorescence with simultaneously opening flowers.
"Epidendrum intermixtum belongs to the GROUP Oerstedella which is characterized by the sympodial habit, mostly verrucose stems, and the rostellum which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the column, forming a wide, open sinus and SUBGROUP Intermixtum which has small, membranaceous flowers with a bifid, petaloid clinandrium-hood, and laterally compressed pollinia with long, granulose caudicles. The species is recognized by the small flowers, sepals .24 to .36" [6 to 8.5 mm] long and petals white or greenish white, 3-lobed lip white, the lateral lobes oblong, arching, twice as long as they are wide, the midlobe ovate-obrong, and the short lateral racemes. Epidendrum chalcochromum Hágsater is very similar but has reddish brown on olive-green flowers, with the clinandrium-hood entire, and longer peduncles on the lateral inflorescences. Epidendrum fuscinum (Dressler) Hágsater is also similar but has much larger flowers with sepals .52 to .6" [13 to 15 mm] and the lateral lobes of the lip are three times longer than wide, the midlobe linear and acute. Hagsater etal 2006
Synonyms Oerstedella intermixta (Ames & C.Schweinf.) Hágsater 1981
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003 as Oerstedella intermixta; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 810 Hagsater 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 818 Hagsater 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 832 Hagsater 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 833 Hagsater 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 845 Hagsater 2006 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 8 Plate 893 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 939 Hagsater 2006 see recognition section; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 photo fide; Lankesteriana 19(1). 31 - 55 2019 photo fide; Vanishing Beauty, Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 2 Lacaena to Pteroglossa Pupulin 2020 photo fide
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