Epidendrum jose-alvarezii Hágsater, Gut.Peralta & Nauray 2015 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae
TYPE Photo by Y. Gutiérrez/TYPE Drawing by Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
EARLY
Common Name Jose Alvarez’s Epidendrum [Peruvian Biologist and Conservationist current]
Flower Size .6” [1.5 cm]
Found in province of Peru in eastern high montane forests at elevations around 3200 meters as a medium to just large sized, cold growing monopodial, branching epiphyte with superposed, occasionally branching, cane-like, terete, thin, erect, new stems arise from a subapical node of the previous stem and carrying about 10, all along the main stem, ascending, similar in size and shape, distichous, articulate, sub-coriaceous, green, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, slightly oblique, acute, margin entire leaves that blooms in the early spring on a terminal, racemose, arching-nutant, peduncle .24 to .4” [6 to 10 mm] long, laterally compressed 1.2 to 1.8” [3 to 4.5 cm] long, densely simultaneously 5 to 10 flowered inflorescence with narrowly triangular-lanceolate, acuminate amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying resupinate, carmine red flowers with the disc of the lip turning orange with age.
"Epidendrum jose-alvarezii belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae which is characterized by the branching habit starting on a monopodial, primary stem, infundibuliform, rugose leaf-sheaths, lanceolate, aristate, acute leaves, racemose subcapitate inflorescence on a short, thin peduncle, and the bicallose lip. The species can be recognized by the bright carmine-red flowers, sepals .36" [9 mm] long, reniform lip, .24 x .42" [6 x 13 mm], apically shallowly 3-lobed, the apical lobe formed by a pair of wide and short, rounded lobes, the disc of the lip fleshy and turning orange with age. It is somewhat similar to Epidendrum ardens which has bright orange to scarlet to brown flowers, is known only from Cusco, in southern Peru, and has .4 to .44" [10 to 11 mm] long sepals, the lip is reniform cordate, .26 to .28 x .38 to .408' [ 6.5 to 7 x 9.5 to 10.2 mm], the petals linear. Epidendrum soratae Rchb.f. has smaller flowers, sepals .24 to .28" [6 to 7 mm] long, and the lip is .26 x .328" [6.5 x 8.2 mm] long, with the mid-lobe small, comparatively narrower, the flowers greenish-yellow." Hagsater etal 2015
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1531 Hágsater, Gut.-Peralta et Nauray 2015 drawing fide
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