Epidendrum llatasii Hágsater, A.G.Diaz & E.Santiago 2018 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae
LCDP Photo © by A Diaz/TYPE Photo © by J. D. Edquén and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name Llata's Epidendrum [Peruvian Santos Régulo Llatas Quiroz, botanical biologist, professor of taxonomy at the National University Pedro Ruíz Gallo, in Lambayeque, Peru, and the most assiduous researcher of the flora Lambayecana 1 September 1952 – 2 March 2016]
Flower Size .88" [2.2 cm]
Found in Peru from the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes in the section known as Cordillera de Mamaqpampa, in the basin of the Huancabamba River, and from the upper Basin of the Río Chotaño, province of Chota, Department of Cajamarca; both are in the broader basin of the Huancabamba River in Andean seasonally wet forest remnants at elevations of 2900 to 3100 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with the primary stem 8 to 9.6" x .24" [20 to 24 x 0.6 cm], branches 2.4 to 3.2" x .2 to .24" [6 to 8 x 0.5 to 0.6 cm], cane-like, terete, thin, straight; new branches produced from a sub-apical node of a previous branch, progressively smaller; base of stems covered by non-foliar sheaths and carrying ca. 12 on the primary stem, 4 to 6 on the branches, distributed throughout the stems, alternate, articulate, coriaceous, dark green, concolor; sheaths tubular, striated; blade elliptic, obtuse, margin entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the spring on a terminal, with out a spathe, peduncle sub-sessile, lacking any bracts, ca. .32 to .48" [0.8-1.2 cm ]long, excluding the flowers, apical, very short, racemose, flowering only once, laxly simultaneously 3 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular-lanceolate, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying resupinate, greenish yellow flowers with the apex of the column slightly tinged purple to green; fragrance not registered.
"Epidendrum llatasii belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae which is characterized by the branching habit starting on a monopodial, primary stem, infundibuliform, rugose leaf-sheaths, lanceolate, aristate, acute leaves, racemose subcapitate inflorescence on a short, thin peduncle, and the bicallose lip. The species is recognized by the leaves .96 to 1.2" x .32 to .48" [2.4 to 3.0 x 0.8 to 1.2 cm], elliptic, apex obtuse; inflorescence sub-sessile, laxly 3-flowered, simultaneous, greenish yellow, apex of the column slightly purple tinged; sepals .48 to .6" x .16 to .2" [12 to 15 x 4 to 5 mm], narrowly obovate-oblanceolate, obtuse, the lip proportionately wider than long, the lateral lobes prominent, transversely obovate-dolabriform, and the mid-lobe small, very wide and short, apically truncate, the inner margins next to the mid-lobe strongly revolute, so that the lip appears bilobed in natural position. Vegetatively it is very similar to Epidendrum yanachagaënse which has elliptic-ovate, obtuse leaves .4 to 1.6" x .2 to .28" [1 to 4 x 0.9 to 1.3 cm], inflorescence with 8 to 10 green flowers, sepals .6 to .64 x .2 to .28" [15 to 16 x 5 to 7 mm], elliptic, the lateral sepals falcate; lip sub-orbicular, as wide as it is long. Epidendrum cardenasii Hágsater from Bolivia, has narrowly lanceolate, acuminate leaves 1.46 to 2.04" x .2 to .28" [3.6 to 5.1 x 0.5 to .7 cm], 3 to 5 yellow flowers, sepals .48 to .52" x .2 to .24" [12 to 13 x 5 to 6 mm], elliptic, acute, and lip bilobed with a wide, rounded mucro in the apical sinus. Epidendrum sumapacense Hágsater & E.Santiago, from Colombia has elliptic, acute leaves .8 to 2.4" x .44 to 1" [2 to 6 x 1.1 to 2.5 cm], 12 to 15 yellow flowers, sepals .56 x .26" [14 x 6.2 mm], narrowly obovate, apex rounded, the lip .2 x .32" [5 x 8 mm], with a pair of small, incipient lateral lobes. Epidendrum monteagudoi Hágsater & E.Santiago has smaller plants, 6.4" [16 cm] tall, linear-lanceolate leaves .48 to .52" x .08 tp .12" [1.2 to 1.3 x 0.2 to 0.3 cm], apex minutely apiculate, inflorescence with 7 simultaneous cream colored flowers with wine-red spots, sepals .32" [8 mm] long, the lip with globose calli and the mid-lobe widely triangular, obtuse." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;*Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1679 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
