Epidendrum loejtnantii Hágsater & Dodson 2001 GROUP Cylindraceum

TYPE Drawing by Lopez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Part Shade Cold Fall

Common Name Loetjnant’s Epidendrum [Danish Botanist and Ecuadorian Orchid Collector in the 1970’s]

Flower Size .6” [1.5 cm]

Found in Carchi province of Ecuador on the eastern slope of the Andes in montane forests at elevations of 2400 to 3000 meters as a small sized, cold growing, repent herb with cane-like, produced from the middle of the previous stem, laterally compressed above stems carrying 2, apical, narrowly lanceolate-elliptic, unequally bilobed, aristate leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, arising through 1 to 2, tubular, parallel sided, acute spathes, peduncle erect, racemose, successively 50 or more flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers with yellow spotted ochre sepals, pale greenish yellow petals and a whitish lip with violet dots.

"Epidendrum loejtnantii belongs to the GROUP Cylindraceum characterized by the sympodial habit, narrow spathaceous bracts with parallel sides an erect racemose inflorescence with non-resupinate flowers and a generally reduced, fleshy lip. The species is recognized by its dense inflorescence, successive flowers, verrucose sepals, 3-veined petals, lobes of the lip subequal in size, margin crenulate. Similar to E. diphyllum but that species has a longer ovary, single veined petals, midlobe of the lip with oblong-falcate apex, longer column. Epidendrum cylindraceum Lindl., has unornamented sepals, unequal lobes of the lip, linear midlobe with entire apex, rarely forming two lobes apically, straight column, l-veined petals with entire margino The lip of Epidendrum parvilabre Lindl. has unequal lobes, the midlobe longer than the lateral lobes, glabrous sepals and linear petals with entire margin." Hagsater etal 2001

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 4 plate 455 Hagsater & Dodson 2001 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1234 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1239 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1271 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section;

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