Epidendrum luteynii Hágsater & E.Santiago 2018GROUP Aquaticum

TYPE Drawing by © M Jimenez and The Herbarium AMO Website Plate 1638

Common Name Lutey's Epidendrum [American Botanist at New York Botanical Garden current]

Flower Size .4" [1 cm]

Found in southern Venezuela on tepuis at elevations around 1700 to 2700 meters as a large o giant sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial with cane-like, subapically branching, terete, erect, straight, the primordial stem ca. 24 to 48" [60 to 120 cm] long; the branches 10" [25 cm] long, carrying 11 to 19 on the branches [main stem not seen], all along the branches, 4 on the tertiary branches, persistent at the apex of trhe branches, articulate, distichous, coriaceous, very rigid, sub-parallel to the stem, unequal in size and shape; sheaths tubular, rugose, blades ovate, apex acute, minutely apiculate, margin entire, spreading to slightly revolute leaves that blooms in the fall, winter and spring on an apical, without a spathe, flowering only once, racemose (mainly on the branches) to paniculate, erect, peduncle .48 to .8" [1.3 to 2.0 cm] long, terete, straight, erect, rachis flexuous to slightly sinuous; branches 1.4 to 2.6" [3.5 to 6.5 cm] long, simultaneously 18 to 25 flowered inflorescence with slightly longer than the ovary, ovate, cucullate, acute, embracing, at 90° with respect to the rachis floral bracts and carrying fleshy, non-resupinate, greenish orange flowers with the fragrance not registered.

"Epidendrum luteynii belongs to the GROUP Aquaticum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching habit, the distichous, erect to arching-nutant inflorescence carrying fleshy flowers with the disc of the lip and/or nectary often pillose. The new species is recognized by the ovate, acute leaves generally sub-parallel to the stem and imbricated, erect inflorescence, paniculate to racemose, flowers greenish orange, laxly distributed on the rachis with floral bracts .12 to .24" x .16 to .2" [3 to 6 x 4 to 5 mm], petals narrowly rhombic, and the lip clearly 3- lobed with the base truncate. Epidendrum commelinispathum is vegetatively very similar, but the inflorescence is much shorter and fewer flowered, the flowers greenish yellow, tinged brown, densely aggregate on the rachis, floral bracts .2 to .28" x .24 to .32" [5 to 7 x 6 to 8 mm], petals linear-oblong, and the lip shallowly 3-lobed, the base broadly cuneate. Epidendrum ulei Schltr. has oblong leaves, sub-spreading, inflorescence straight with greenish yellow to ochre flowers, petals linear-oblanceolate." Hagsater etal 2018

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1612 Hagsater & Santiago 2018 See Recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1638 Hagsater & Santiago 2018 Drawing fide;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------