Epidendrum kabirii Hagsater & Santiago 2021 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Vernixium

LCDP Photo by © Eric Hagsater & E Santiago and Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1875 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021

EARLER

Common Name Kabir's Epidendrum [In honor of Kabir Montesinos González (1973-), of Cuenca Ecuador, who is in charge of the gardens and maintaining plant diversity at the University of Cuenca, and who accompanied us and acted as a guide for collections in the province of Azuay]

Flower Size 1.8" [4.5 cm]

Found in Azuay province of Ecuador on the upper slopes of the Andes south of Cuenca and Loja, in subparamo shrubs at elevations of 2600 to 3300 meters as a giant sized, cold growing terrestrial with a cane-like, terete, thin, erect, straight primary stem and much shorter, similar branching stems carrying numerous on the primary stem, 3 to 7 on the branches, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, obtuse, minutely apiculate, margins entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the spring, summer and earlier fall on an erect, termninal, without a spathe, peduncle sessile, rachis 2.4 to 4.08" long, racemose, secund, sub-densely, successively few to 18 flowered inflorescence with smaller than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, secund flowers.

"Epidendrum kabirii belongs to the Group Andean SUBGROUP Vernixium which is characterized by the monopodial habit with sub-apical branching, erect inflorescences, laxly non-resupinate, spreading flowers, and the lip entire to 3-lobed and facing downwards. The new species is recognized by the leaves, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, spreading, flowers secund, pale green irregularly marked with dark purple, especially dorsally, with the column flushed purple along the apical half, the sepals .64 to .72" [16 to 18 mm] long, dorsal sepals 3 veined, the petals narrowly obovate-spatulate, the margin strongly revolute, the lip 3-lobed, slightly convex in natural position, and the ovary thick, .92" [23 mm] long. Epidendrum montistoletanum Hágsater & E.Santiago has leaves sub-parallel to the stem, flowers green tinged purple-black to totally purple-black, the petals spatulate with the margin slightly revolute, and the lip entire, concave in natural position. Epidendrum chaoticum Hágsater & E.Santiago has narrowly elliptic leaves, a few-flowered, sub-erect inflorescence, the flowers green suffused with pale yellowish purple, the sepals dorsally verrucose, apical margin erose, 7-veined, the petals linear-oblanceolate, partly spreading, 3-veined, the lip sub-entire, sub-quadrate, and the ovary thin, up to 1.2" [30 mm] long. Epidendrum adamsii Hágsater & Dodson has elliptic-lanceolate leaves, the flowers simultaneous, green, not secund, the sepals .6" [15 mm] long, the petals oblanceolatespatulate with the margins revolute at the base, the lip 3-lobed, and the ovary thin, up to 1.28" [32 mm] long. Epidendrum portotambillense Hágsater & E.Santiago has orange-yellow flowers, the lip orange with a gray-brown overlay, entire, flabelliform, and the column .6" [15 mm] long and the sepals .56 to .66" [14.5 to 16.7 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2021

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1875 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 LCDP Photo/photo fide;

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