Epidendrum jacarandichromum Hágsater, E.Santiago & Uribe Vélez 2018 GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Densiflorum
Photo by © Cassio van den Berg © Photo courtesy of Dalton Holland Baptista
TYPE Drawing by © R Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
Common Name The Jacaranda Colored Epidendrum [Refres to the lavender-blue color of the flowers of the horticultural Jacaranda sp.]
Flower Size .88" [2.2 cm]
Found in northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela at elevations of 100 to 800 meters as a medium to giant sized, hot to warm growing terrestrial with simple, cane-like, sub-terete, somewhat oval in cross section, erect, straight stems basally covered by tubular, scarious, non-foliar sheaths carrying 6 to 12, distributed throughout the apical half of the stems, articulate, alternate, sub-coriaceous, spreading sheaths tubular, minutely striated, purple-brown, unequal, progressively larger until the penultimate leaf, elliptic, acute, margin entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on a terminal, flowering only once, sub-erect to slightly arching, peduncle ca. 1.4 to 6" [3.5 to 15 cm] long, thin, somewhat laterally compressed, straight, provided with 1 to 3 bracts, conduplicate, not extended, acute, dark brown bracts, paniculate, occasionally racemose, commonly 4 to 6-branched, the branches spreading, each 3.6 to 8.8" [9 to 22 cm] long, subtending the branches similar to those of the peduncle, but progressively smaller bracts, scape 4.2 to 12" [10.5 to 30 cm] long, laxly, simultaneously 7 to 80 flowered inflorescence with narrowly triangular, acuminate, much shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying resupinate, citrus scented flowers.
"Epidendrum jacarandichromum belongs to the GROUP Pseudepidendrum which is characterized by caespitose plants, cane-like stems, acute to acuminate leaves, usually apical inflorescence, without any spathaceous bract, though it may have several bracts, the mostly filiform petals and the lip usually 3-lobed (with 3 parallel fleshy keels), the apical lobe often bifurcate, the “bird-wing” type pollinia, at least the inner pair, and SUBGROUP Densiflorum where the short-pedunculate inflorescence is paniculate, flowering only once, flowers are green, the apex of the column and disc of the lip creamy-white, the calli sometimes tinged purple, the petals are linear-oblong to linear-oblanceolate, never filiform, and the pollinia “bird-wing” type, unequal in shape, the inner pair smaller. The species is recognized by the peduncle of the inflorescence with 1 to 3 large, conduplicate, brown bracts, similar to those subtending the lower branches of the inflorescence, the lip of the flower with sub-reniform lateral lobes, the corners rounded, and the calli of the lip usually lavender-blue, the color spreading from the calli onto the sides of the disc except for the white ribs on the disc, lobes of the mid-lobe arched, apex rounded, margin entire. The following species are all found in the same general area and have a very similar plant habit. Epidendrum isthmii is most similar but lacks any bracts on the peduncle, the lateral lobes of the lip are subrectangular to ax-shaped, corners right-angled, calli and disc of the lip is white, the margin of the lip being often green, and the lobes of the mid-lobe are nearly straight, apex truncate, margin irregular. Epidendrum agathosmicum Rchb.f. has a similar plant habit, but the flowers are entirely white, the petals much wider, the lateral lobes of the lip have a dentate lip, and the mid-lobe, though also bifid has two somewhat orbicular lobes. Epidendrum lilacinoides Hágsater & E.Santiago, has purple flowers with a white lip, filiform petals, and the width of the mid-lobe of the lip is much wider than the lateral lobes, the apices being .56 to .72" [14 to 18 mm] apart, strongly divaricate, and linear-oblong. Epidendrum macroceras Schltr., also described from a collection by Herbert H. Smith from Santa Marta has yellow green flowers with an immaculate white lip, and also has filiform petals, and the lip is much wider between the apical lobes which are oblong, divaricate and falcate. Epidendrum unguiculatum (C.Schweinf.) Garay & Dunst. has similar flowers, but it produces successive new racemes from the initial inflorescence, flowers are larger with sepals .72 to .8" [18 to 20 mm] long, lateral lobes of the lip flabellate, the flowers generally green with the apex of the column and disc white, the calli occasionaly purple" Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
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Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1630 Hagsater 2018 drawing fide;
Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1736 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 See recognition section
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