Epidendrum maldonadoense Hágsater & Dodson 2001 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Maldonadoense
LCDP Photo by G. Reina-Rodríguez & A. Cisneros and Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1883 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021
TYPE Drawing by © Lopez and The AMO Herbaria Website
MID 
EARLY 
Common Name The Maldonado Epidendrum [A town near where the type was collected]
Flower Size 1.2” [3 cm]
Found in southern Narino department of Colombia and northern Carchi province of Ecuador on the western slope of the Andes at elevations of 1700 to 2000 meters as a giant sized, cool growing epiphyte with cane-like, laterally compressed, straight 7 to 14, all along the primary stem and 7 or so leaves on the elongate secondary stems carrying stem, elliptic, acute, apical margin minutely dentate leaves that blooms in the mid winter and early spring on a terminal, without a spathe, racemose, erect, occuring only once, peduncle .4 to 1.2" [1 to 3 cm] long, terete, erect, straight, gradually wider towards the apex, rachis 3.6 to 4" [9 to 10 cm] long, terete, green, pyramidal, 4.4 to 6" [11 to 15 cm] long overall, successively1 to 3, 8 to 9 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 resupinate, non fragrant flowers.
"Epidendrum maldonadoense belongs to the GROUP Andean recognized by the monopodial, branching habit, and the SUBGROUP Maldonadoense characterized by the scarcely branching plants, leaves narrowly elliptic and acuminate, the laxly few-flowered inflorescence, and the tepals long acuminate. The species has cane-like stems with numerous leaves narrowly oblong-elliptic, acuminate, distributed throughout the stem, and the apical, racemose, laxly-flowered inflorescence lacks any spathe, with large, star-like, very pale green-white flowers, the sepals .68 to .92" [17 to 23 mm] long, and the lip 3-lobed, the lateral lobes sub-orbicular-sub-quadrate, with the forward margin straight, and the mid-lobe transversely quadrate, with a prominent triangular apiculus. The flowers are somewhat reminiscent of Epidendrum amblyantherum Hágsater & E.Santiago in the color and 3-lobed lip, but the sepals are .6 to .888" [15 to 22 mm] long, elliptic, acute, and the callus of that species forms a “Y” shaped thickening." Hagsater etal 2021
It is also similar to E. lima Lindl. which has similar leaves, a nodding raceme of simultaneous flowers, the floral bracts about as long as the ovary, the lateral sepals connate at the base, and the midlobe of the lip cuneate and larger than the lateral lobes." Hagsater etal 2001
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 456 Hagsater & Dodson 2001 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1852 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1883 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 LCDP/Photo
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