Epidendrum magnibracteum Kraenzl. 1920 GROUP Macrostachyum
Photo by © C Castro/ TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
LATER
THROUGH MID 
Common Name The Large Bracted Epidendrum
Flower Size 1.2” [3 cm]
Found in Cundinamarca and Boyaca departments of Colombia on the cordillera Oriental at elevations of 2700 to 3300 meters as a large to giant sized, cold growing terrestrial with branching when mature, cane-like, terete, erect, straight stems carrying numerous on the main stem, all along the stem, articulate, alternate, partly spreading, unequal in size, the apical is shorter, elliptic-lanceolate, acute, apical margin minutely serrulate, slightly revolute leaves that blooms in the later spring through mid fall on a terminal, without a spathe, racemose, erect, occuring only once, peduncle .6” [1.5 cm] long, terete, erect, straight, gradually wider towards the apex, rachis 6.8 to 11.4” [17 to 28.5 cm] long, terete, green, pyramidal, 6 to 12” [15 to 30 cm] long overall, successively 21 to 30 flowered inflorescence with prominent, much longer than the flowers, diminishing in size above, ovate-triangular, acuminate, amplexicaul, cymbiform, apical margin minutely denticulate floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, very fleshy, color of ripe olives flowers with a light green lip.
"Epidendrum magnibracteum belongs to the GROUP Macrostachyum , which is characterized by the monopodial plants with sub-apical branching, rugose leaf sheaths, large leaves generally spreading, racemose, erect inflorescence, and fleshy flowers generally green to black (ripe olive colored), as well as yellow to pink to purple, with an entire, conduplicate, generally ecallose and pubescent lip embracing the column, and the nectary pubescent to papillose in front of the stigmatic cavity and at least at the base of the lip. The species is recognized by the large leaves to 7.2 to 8" [18 to 20 cm] long, many-flowered, pyramidal inflorescence with successive flowers the color of ripe olives with the lip light green, the floral bracts very prominent, longer than the flowers, the short ovary .24 to .28" [6 to 7 mm] long, the lip widely cordiform and glabrous. Epidendrum chondrochilum Schltr.has shorter leaves, to 5.2" [13 cm] long, similar inflorescences and flowers in size and color, but the floral bracts, though prominent, never surpass the length of the flower, the lip has a low rib and a pair of thickened lamina in front of the column. Epidendrum dermatanthum Kraenzl. has short, narrow leaves 3.2 to 4" [8 to 10 cm] long, short inflorescences with few flowers, the flowers greenish brown, and short floral bracts ca. .48 to .52" [12 to 13 mm] long. Epidendrum bractiacuminatum Hágsater & Dodson also has few-flowered inflorescences, with ca. 11 to 12 burgundy-red to purple flowers with the base of the column green, ovary .36 to .48" [9 to 12 mm] long, and the lip cordiform, proportionately as wide as it is long, sepals triangular-ovate with the apex acuminate, .52 to .68" [13 to 17 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2015
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003 as E palmense; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1538 Hagsater & Santiago 2015 drawing fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo fide;
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