Epidendrum leucolasium Hágsater & E.Santiago 2018 GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Rhombochilum
LCDP Photo © by E. Hágsater & C. Álvarez/TYPE Photo © by Eric Hagsater and The AMO Herbario Website
LATE 
EARLIER
Common Name The Wooly White Epidendrum [In reference to the two parallel rows of white hairs on the disc of the lip, at the base of the lateral lobes, which are characteristic of this species and quite unusual in this genus]
Flower Size .84" [2.1 cm]
Found in southern Colombia along the eastern slope of the Macizo Colombiano, epiphytic in sub-paramo areas low shrub forest at elevations around 3000 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with terete, progressively shorter, the primary stem ca. 8 x .16" [20 x 0.4 cm], the secondary stems 1.2 to 3.6" x .04 to .12" [3 to 9 x 0.1 to 0.3 cm] and carrying numerous on the primary stem, 3 to 8 on the secondary stems; sheaths rugose, tubular, blade 6 to 12" [.12 to .16" [15 to 30 x 3 to 4 mm], linear-lanceolate, acute, apical margin crenulate, entire towards the base, spreading leaves tht blooms in the late winter and earlier spring on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle .2" [5 mm] long, very short, rachis .32" [8 mm] long, .52" [13 mm long] overall, arching-nutant, sub-umbellate, simultaneously 4 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying , non-resupinate, brown flowers, always facing downwards, with the apex of the column and lateral lobes of the lip yellow, and two parallel rows of white hairs on the disc of the lip.
The area has not been systematically collected as it has for the last half century been under control of illegal armed groups, and thus new access to the area may prove that it is more common.
"Epidendrum leucolasium appears to belong to the GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Rhombochilum recognized but the small caespitose, branching vegetative habit, leaves small and narrow, the apical margin crenulate, an apical, short, nodding, few-flowered inflorescence, flowers brown-green-yellow, with the base of the lip more or less pilose. The species has spreading tepals, .36" [9 mm] long, 3-veined, and the lip 3-lobed, base cordate, the lateral lobes somewhat upturned towards the base; calli lacking, disc with a pair of parallel rows of short white hairs at the base of the lateral lobes; lateral lobes transversely rectangular, the corners rounded, margin entire; mid-lobe an isosceles triangle, the apex acute, somewhat narrowly rounded. Epidendrum chrysanthum has fleshy, bronzy-yellow-green colored flowers produced simultaneously, the rhomboid lip enveloping the column, the sepals .3" [7.5 mm] long; it as well only has 2 pollinia, an infrequent character in the genus produced by the fusion of each pair." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1678 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
