Epidendrum machinense M F Escal & Rinc.-Gonzales GROUP Mancum SUBGROUP Stenoglossum

LCDP Drawing by © : M. Rincón & A. Cisneros and Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1818 2020

Common Name The Cerro Machin Volcano Epidendrum [A volcano in the municipality of Ibague, department of Tolima where the type was collected]

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Tolima department of Colombia growing in the middle and top of trees of the genus Inga and trees of Tibouchina lepidota (Bonpl.) Baill at elevations around 2300 to 2600 meters as a medium tsized, cold growing caespitose epiphyte with simple, cane-like, produced from the lower nodes of the anterior stem, erect, terete, straight, cylindrical, laterally flattened towards the apex stem and carrying a single, apical, elliptic-lanceolate, apex obtuse, margin entire leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, erect, arising through 1 to rarely 2, oblong, acute spathes, peduncle 3.6 to 4" [9 to 10 cm] long, covered almost entirely by the spathe, rachis straight to generally arching when mature, [22 to 28 cm] long overall, racemose, cylindrical, generally dense, simultaneously 50 to 80 flowered inflorescence with triangular, acute, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying the lip always pointed at the apex of the rachis, non-fragrant flowers

"Epidendrum machinense belongs to the GROUP Mancum SUBGROUP Stenoglossum which is characterized by the sympodial habit, stems of one or few leaves, a racemose, ancipitose, elongate, arching inflorescence with 1 to 2 spathes with parallel sides; and the flowers lip always directed towards the apex of the rachis, a short column, an entire or 3-lobed lip, tiny hamate lateral lobes and a filiform linear midlobe with a rhomboid sagittal apex. The species is recognized by the tall plants, 12.8 to 14.8" [32 to 37 cm] tall including the inflorescence, the inflorescence .88 to 1.12" [22 to 28 cm] long with 50 to 80 simultaneous flowers with yellow corolla suffused purple-brown with yellow apices and a white lip and a column with numerous wine-red spots, a dorsal sepal shorter than the lateral sepals, the petals flanking the column, 3-veined, and the 3-lobed lip, lateral lobes broadly hamate in position, mid-lobe triangular-linear, apex inflexed, rhombic or bifid apex, and bicallose. Epidendrum coryophorum (Kunth) Rchb.f. is distinguished by the smaller plants, 6 to 12" [15 to 30 cm] tall including the inflorescence, 3.2 to 9.2" [8 to 23 cm] long, with 10 to 34 simultaneous flowers, the purple flowers often with white apices, the petals narrow, flanking the column, 1- veined, and by the linear lip without calli. Epidendrum hamatum (Garay) Dressler is vegetatively very similar but the flowers are white slightly tinged pink, with pink-red dots at the apex of the column and base of the lip and is apparently endemic to Cundinamarca and Boyacá, north of Bogotá. Domínguez and Hágsater published a plate under the name E. hamatum (2019) of a similar species well known from around Medellín, Antioquia, with yellow-green flowers mottled with brown dots, but that is a new species which is being described elsewhere." Hagsater etal 2020

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1818 Hagsater & Santiago 2020 Photos fide; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1878 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section

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

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