Epidendrum mavrodactylon Hágsater, Edquén & E.Santiago 2018 GROUP Porpax,
LCDP Photo © /TYPE Photo © by J. D. Edquén O. and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Moor's Finger Epidendrum [reference to the very succulent leaves, which are reminiscent of those of Lampranthus spectabilis N.E.Br., popularly known in Spanish as the Moor's finger]
Flower Size .32" [8 mm]
Found in northern Peru within the departments of San Martín and Amazonas in wet montane forests with abundant moss, and accumulation of organic matter at elevations around 1800 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with cane-like, simple, laterally compressed, somewhat reclining stems carrying 4, fleshy, distichous, erect, concave, arching and partially imbricated, somewhat conduplicate, dark green, concolor; leaf sheath tubular, narrow at the base gradually widened towards the apex; blade narrowly lanceolate obtuse to sub-acute, minutely apiculate, margin entire, dentate at the apex leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, arising through a .36 x .28" [9 x 7 mm] when spread, elliptic, obtuse, minutely apiculate, conduplicate spathe, sessile, single-flowered inflorescence with hidden within the spathe floral bract and carrying a resupinate yellowish green flower with the lip concolor, sepals and petals somewhat tinged bronze; fragrance not registered.
"Epidendrum mavrodactylon belongs to the GROUP Porpax, which is characterized by the sympodial, somewhat repent habit, usually forming large mats; short, cane-like stems with very fleshy, succulent, articulate, distichous leaves, the apical margin minutely ciliate; single-flowered inflorescence, sessile flowers; and the lip generally reddish purple. The new species is recognized by the very small plants, to 1.2" [3 cm] tall, with leaves .2 to .52" [0.5 to 1.4 cm] long, semi-terete, concave and arching, flowers yellowish green, sepals and petals tinged bronze; dorsal sepal and petals nearly parallel to the column, lip elliptic, acute, immaculate and the ovary with a prominent ventral, elongate vesicle, half as long as the ovary. Epidendrum althaniorum from Cusco has larger plants,1.8 to 4" [4.5 to 10 cm] tall, leaves .52 to 2" [1.3 to 5 cm] long, straight, flowers lime-yellow, lip orbicular, rounded with a heart-shaped red blotch in the middle, and the ovary not inflated, not forming a vesicle. There is a photograph of a species from Bolivia in Vásquez (2004) which somewhat resembles this species, but no data of the origin of that photograph is given, and the cited specimens evidently include several species none of which correspond to Epidendrum peperomia Rchb.f. "Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1682 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide;
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