Epidendrum kirkbridei Hágsater & E.Santiago 2009 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cernuum

TYPE Drawing by Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name Kirkbride’s Epidendrum [American Orchid Collector current]

Flower Size 1” [2.5 cm]

Found in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northern Colombia and Venezuela at elevations of 3100 to 3600 meters as a medium to large sized, cold growing epiphyte or terrestrial with cane-like, terete, erect, straight, branching subapically, main stem longer than the branches and carrying 11 to 20 on the main stem, 6 to 14 on the branches, all along the stems, articulate, distichous, coriaceous, suberect, unequal in size, basal leaves generally smaller, oblong-lanceolate, sometimes conduplicate, obtuse, minutely apiculate, margin minutely crenulate towards the apex leaves that blooms in the winter, spring and summer on a terminal, occuring only once, racemose, arching-nutant, peduncle short, terete, provided with a single, triangular-lanceolate, acuminate amplexicaul bract, simultaneously densely 20 flowered inflorescence with small, less than half as long as the ovary, triangular-lanceolate, long-acuminate, amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying resupinate, pink flowers with a yellow anther and white calli.

"Epidendrum kirkbridei belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cernuum, characterized by the monopodial habit, cane-like stems with sub-apical branching, the branches shorter than the main stem, coriaceous to sub-coriaceous leaves and fleshy flowers, the lip 3-lobed. The species is recognized by the suberect leaves, apically obtuse to rounded, pink-colored flowers with white calli, sepals .24 to .48" [6 to 12 mm] long, and very small floral bracts to .24" [6 mm] long. Epidendrum zipaquiranum has acute leaves, green to yellow, fragrant flowers, very prominent floral bracts to .56" [14 mm] long, and the apex of the sepals obtuse with a dorsal keel. Epidendrum chioneum Lindl. has snow-white flowers, sepals .24 to .36" [6 to 9 mm] long, and prominent, .64" [16 mm] long floral bracts." Hagsater etal 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1221 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1257 Hagsater & Santiago 2009 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1300 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017;

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