Epidendrum latisegmentum C.Schweinf. 1943 GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Incomptum

Drawing by Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

EARLY

Common Name The Broad Segment Epidendrum [refers to the broad floral parts]

Flower Size 1.6” [4 cm]

Found in southern Ecuador and northern Peru at elevations around 600 meters as a medium sized, warm growing epiphyte with cane-like, new stems produced from the subapical node of the previous stem, terete, straight stems carrying 4, clustered towards the apex of the stem, unequal, lowest one much smaller than the others, alternate, narrrowly elliptic, acute, smooth, oblique, margin entire leaves that blooms in the winter through early summer on a terminal, occuring only once, racemose, arching-nutant, peduncle laterally compressed, straight, carrying a basal, narrowly triangular, conduplicate, subacute bract, successively 3, 5 to 8 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, triangular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying resupinate fleshy green flowers.

"Epidendrum lalisegmentum belongs to the GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Incomptum characterized by the sympodial habit, the new growth produced from the mid-nodes of the previous cane-like growth below the leaves, the apical inflorescence flowenng one time only, and the roots produced at the base of each new growth, not at the intermediate nodes and the fleshy flowers. The species is recognized by the thin, uninflated nectary, large bilobed, subreniform lip, and the relatively wide sepals and petals. It is somewnat similar to Epidendrum fujimorianum Benn. & Christenson whieh has shorter, narrower, acute petals, and produces successive flowers singly on short racemes (according to the illustration of the type, not the description). Epidendrum bisulcatum Ames has much smaller flowers, the lip being less than half the size, and suborbicular. Epidendrum nephroglossum Schltr. also has a smaller lip, the sepals being .44" [11 mm] long, and the petals linear-oblanceolate and somewhat aeuminate." Hagsater etal 2006

Synonyms

ReferencesW3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Peru Vol 2 Schweinfurth 1959; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 850 Hagsater 2006 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 955 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1837 Hagsater, Santiago and Medina 2020 see recognition section

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