Epidendrum leptanthum Hágsater 2018 GROUP Frutex SUBGROUP Leptanthum Type for the subgroup
LCDP Photo © by E. Hágsater & C. Álvarez/TYPE Photo © by Eric Hagsater and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Thin Epidendrum [in reference to the thin substance of the floral segments, which facilitate spreading them, in particular the lip which in most species of this group is fleshy thick, and nearly impossible to spread without tearing it]
Flower Size .32" [8 mm]
Found in Morona-Santiago province of Ecuador in high montane cloud forests with bushes at elevations around 3350 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphye with erect, thin, long, terete, the branches shorter than the main stems, nearly totally covered by sheathes of the leaves on the main stem, branches with leafless sheaths along the basal 1/3 of branch; enveloped by tubular, striated, rugose, wine-red when young turning light brown when dry sheaths and carrying ca. 9 per stem, parallel to the stem, distichous, sub-coriaceous, narrowly lanceolate, apex narrowly rounded, margin minutely and irregularly crenulate, spreading leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle sub-erect, ca. .88 x .68" [2.2 x 0.17 cm], provided near the middle with a long bract, ca. .4" [10 mm] long, linear-triangular, apex rounded, partly embracing, rachis nutant-pendant, whole surface irregularly pustulate, developing through time as successive flowers develop, to ca. 1.6" [4 cm] long, green, ca. 3.2" [8 cm] long overall, apical, racemose, successively 17 flowered inflorescence with progressively shorter, narrowly triangular, acuminate, embracing, red-brown floral bracts and carrying cretaceous, greenish white flowers with the outside more or less tinged green with red-brown minute dots; without fragrance.
"Epidendrum leptanthum belongs to the GROUP Frutex recognized by the caepitose habit, usually simple stems, lanceolate leaves, lacking spathes, nutant racemes, widely cordiform to reniform lip and SUBGROUP Leptanthum which is caracterized by the thin stems, scarecely branched when mature, leaves short, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate oblong, nearly parallel to the stem, inflorescence arching-nutant, apical and lateral in mature stems, racemose to paniculate, few-flowered. The new species is recognized by the thin stems to 16" [40 cm] tall, narrowly lanceolate leaves 1.04 to 3.2" x .16 to .28" [2.6 to 8.0 x 0.4 to 0.7 cm], the inflorescence with the peduncle sub-erect, ca. .88" [2.2 cm] long, arching-nutant raceme with successive, cretaceous, greenish white flowers, delicate in substance, sepals 3.2 to 3.56" [8.0 to 8.4 cm] long, petals linear-oblanceolate, and the lip deeply and widely cordiform, .24 x .28" [6.0 x 7.0 mm], embracing the column, callus “W” shaped. It resembles Epidendrum papallactense which is larger in every way, stems 18.4 to 28" [46 to 70 cm] long, somewhat laterally compressed, leaves 3 to 5.6" x .56 to .8" [7.5 to 14 x 1.4 to 2.0 cm], inflorescence is paniculate, producing new racemes from the nodes of the very long peduncle, 2 to 6" [5 to 15 cm] long, ancipitous, arching; flowers blue to black, lip green to black, column green, petals narrowly oblong, lip widely reniform, base truncate, embracing the column, with a “Y” shaped callus. Epidendrum harlingii Hágsater & Dodson has subspreading leaves 2.16 to 4.84 x .28 to .48" [5.4 to 12.1 x 0.7 to 1.2 cm], inflorescence is paniculate, erect, spreading, with a short, erect peduncle, .64 to 1.2" [1.6 to 3.0 cm] long, flowers yellowish green to brown-violet, lip somewhat spreading, not embracing the column, widely cordiform, base nearly truncate, callus “Y” shaped. Epidendrum choccei M.E.Acuña, Hágsater & E.Santiago has leaves 1.08 to 1.36" [2.7 to 3.4 cm] long, parallel to the stem, the inflorescence with successive pink flowers, 2 to 4 open at one time, sepals .332" [8.3 mm] long, petals narrowly oblong, and a widely ovate, acuminate lip. Epidendrum effusipetalum Hágsater, Edquén & E.Santiago has leaves 1.28 to 1.8" x .24 to .32" [3.2 to 4.5 x 0.6 to 0.8 cm], peduncle .28 to .4" [0.7 to 1.0 cm] long, lateral sepals .4 to .42" [10.0 to 10.5 mm] long, petals .36 x .4" [9.0 x 1.0 mm], spreading, linear-oblong, and the lip cordiform, ecallose, with a single mid-rib on the disc." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;*Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1675 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16(2) Plate 1696 Hagsater & Jimenez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16(2) Plate 1698 Hagsater & Jimenez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1712 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section
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