Epidendrum llactapataense D.E.Benn. & Christenson 2001 GROUP Epidendropsis SUBGROUP Gracillimum

TYPE Drawing by Bennett & Christenson

Part Shade Hot Warm LATE Fall EARLY Winter

Common Name The Llactapata Epidendrum [A town in Huancavelica Peru]

Flower Size .2” [.5 cm]

Found in Peru in cold wet cloud forests at elevations around 1600 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with a short, leafy towards the apex stem carrying 2 to 5, erect, narrowly ovate-triangular, acute, conduplicate, thickly coriaceous, leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, peduncle terete, with 2 distant infundibuliform bracts, racemose to one branched panicle, to 2.4” [6 cm] long, mostly simultaneously 5 to 8 flowered inflorescence with half the length of the ovary, ovate, acuminate floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers with semitransluscent very pale yellowish green to tan yellow sepals, lustrous pale green petals and the lip pale green with a ocher yellow disc and callus.

"Epidendrum llactapataense D.E.Benn. & Christenson belongs to the GROUP Epidendropsis SUBGROUP Gracillimum characterized by the sympodial, caespitose, relatively small plants with non-thickened stems, long, paniculate inflorescence, delicate small flowers, and long, narrow, sub-coriaceous leaves. The species is recognized by the similar-sized plants ca. 5.2" [13 cm] tall but the inflorescence is paniculate, 2 to 2.4" [5 to 6 cm] long, with 10 to 12 concolor, ochre-yellow flowers, the sepals .24" [6 mm] long. Epidendrum joaquin-ortizii has small plants 5.2" [13 cm] tall, short, racemose, few-flowered inflorescence, the white flowers with the disc of the lip bright orange-yellow and fleshy thickened with multiple ribs, sepals .4 to .44" [10 to 11 mm] long. Epidendrum gracillimum Rchb.f. has larger plants to 8" [20 cm] tall, paniculate inflorescence, smaller flowers, sepals .2 to .252" [5 to 6.3 mm] long, and the lip with a single thickened mid-rib. Epidendrum erica-moroniae Hágsater & E.Santiago has much larger plants, 8 to 12" [20 to 30 cm] tall, a large paniculate inflorescence, 4 to 8.04" [10 to 21 cm] long, densely many-flowered, the flowers greenish brown, sepals .184 to .2" [4.6 to 5.0 mm] long, and the lip with 3 narrow, thin, parallel ribs. Epidendrum schlimii Rchb.f. is a delicate plant, paniculate inflorescences with 2-flowered racemes, the flowers pale red to purple-brown, lip entire, widely cordiform, and with a single, narrow mid-rib.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 641 Bennett & Christenson 2001 dawing fide; LANKESTERIANA 14(1) 2014; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [2] Plate 1587 Hagsater & Sanchez 2016 see recognition section;

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