TYPE Photo by © L. García Llatas/TYPE Drawing by R. Jiménez M. and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The White Secented Group Alpicola Epidendrum [in reference to the very fragrant white flowers of this species of the Alpicola Group]
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]
Found in northern Peru, on both sides of the Andes, at 2500 to 2650 meters in cloud forest, on Ocotea sp. as a medium to large sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, terete, erect, straight stems carrying 8 to 10, distributed along the apical 2/3 of the stems, articulate, alternate, sub-erect, green; provided with tubular, somewhat laterally compressed, minutely striated sheaths; blade linear-lanceolate, acuminate margin entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the fall and winter on a terminal, erect, arising through 1 to 2, somewhat imbricated, long, narrow spathes totally covering the peduncle, peduncle 2" [5 cm] long, straight, 4.8 to 6.4" [12 to 14 cm] long overall, racemose, arching, laxly, simultaneously 30 to 35 flowered inflorescence with prominent, covering half the ovary, linear-triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying resupinate, white, very fragrant of “ladies' perfume” flowers with the base of column green.
"Epidendrum leucosmoalpicola belongs to the GROUP Alpicolum SUBGROUP Alpicolum which is characterized by the simple, cane-like stems, with 1 to 2, long, narrow spathes, the fox tail-like inflorescence, and numerous flowers with a fleshy lip, a triangular mid-lobe, and roundish lateral lobes. The new species is recognized by the very fragrant, white flowers, leaves 8 to 10, narrow, 2.6 to 4.4" x .18 to .22" [6.5 to 11 x 0.45 to 0.55 cm], linear-lanceolate, sepals .346 to .436" [8.6 to 10.9 mm] long, petals .252" [6.3 mm] long, clearly shorter than the sepals, and the lateral lobes of lip sub-quadrate-dolabriform, margin slightly erose, mid-lobe of lip .0836" x .032" [2.9 x 0.8 mm], oblong, thick, apex rounded. Epidendrum cornutum Lindl. has 13 to 14 leaves, 2.8 to 5.4" x .32 to .56" [7.0 to 13.5 x 0.8 to 1.4 cm], narrowly oblong-lanceolate, apex acuminate, sepals .4 to .492" [10.0 to 12.3 mm] long, petals .368" [9.2 mm] long, only slightly shorter than the dorsal sepal, and mid-lobe of lip .18 x .044" [4.5 x 1.1 mm], narrowly triangular, acuminate. Epidendrum dolichocaulum Hágsater & A.G.Díaz has long stems, nearly 40" [100 cm] long, with 17 to 19 linear-lanceolate leaves to 3.6 to 6" x .32 to .48" [9 to 15 x 0.8 to 1.2 cm], a relatively short, laxly flowered inflorescence, large yellow flowers, long sepals .6 to .7" [15 to 20 mm] long, and a long straight lip, mid-lobe .336" x .08" [8.4 x 2 mm], with a relatively long mid-rib with a pair of shorter ribs in front of the calli. Epidendrum roezlii Hágsater has lanceolate leaves, sepals yellow-green, acute, .28 to .32" x .088 to .12" [7 to 8 x 2.2 to 3.0 mm], and a lip apricot, the lateral lobes ovate with the margin denticulate. Epidendrum tequendamae F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. has narrower, longer, linear-lanceolate leaves, flowers similar in size and proportionately narrower, sepals .304 to .34" x .08 to .092" [7.6 to 8.5 x 2.0 to 2.3 mm] long, elliptic to linear-lanceolate, falcate petals, a the lip callus somewhat shorter, and the margin of the lateral lobes entire, column has very prominent long column wings which are rounded and notched above, with the clinandrium hood very short, reaching only half the column length. Epidendrum anthoceros Rchb.f. has oblong leaves, spreading sepals .4 to .44" [10 to 11 mm] long, and lateral lobes of the lip erose-denticulate, mid-lobe linear-triangular, short acuminate. Epidendrum aenigmaticum Hágsater & Dodson has small flowers, ochre-orange colored inside, lateral sepals .272 to .3" [6.8 to 7.5 mm] long, and transversely ovate-elliptic lateral lobes of the lip are upright, with margin entire, and mid-lobe is short and wide." Hagsater etal 2020
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1776 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 TYPE Drawing/Photo fide;
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