Epidendrum microcardium Schltr.1923 GROUP Ramosum SUBGROUP Rugosum

Photo by © Bogarin and the Epidendra Webpage

Drawing

Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

Common Name The Small Heart Shaped Lip Epidendrum

Flower Size 1/4" [8 mm]

Found in Costa Rica and Panama in rain and cloud forests at elevations of 1600 to 2400 meters as a small to medium sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with branching, cane-like, terete stems, the main longer than the branches and carrying about 12 along the main stem, 2 to 3 aggregate towards the apex of the branches, all narrowly oblong-elliptic, unequally bilobed leaves that blooms at any time of the year on a terminal, racemose, distichous, secund, straight, subsessile, short inflorescence arising on both the stem and the branches with shorter than the ovary, triangular, oblong, acute floral bracts and carrying 3 to 10, simultaneously opening, non-resupinate, secund flowers.

Distinguished by the sinuous, principal stem, the narrowly oblong-ellipitc leaves, the shorter than the ovary, non-imbricate floral bracts, the separate flowers with a concave, ovate-cordate lip with a thickened margin that forms a cavity.

"Epidendrum microcardium Schltr. belongs to the GROUP Ramosum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching stems, the spike-like, distichous inflorescence, and the single callus, and the SUBGROUP Rugosumwhich has branching habit with few-flowered inflorescences from short, secondary stems, the leaf-sheaths rugose. The species is recognized by the numerous, 3 to 10, secund, small flowers with sepals .14 to .22" [3.5 to 5.5 mm] long, greenish white to pale green flowers, with the apex of the column purple, the ovate, cordate, ecallose lip with the margin much thickened. It is similar to Epidendrum sanchoi Ames which has 1 to 5, generally 3, greenish, concolor flowers, sepals .163 to .32" [4.8 to 8 mm] long, the lip triangular, acuminate, the base cordate with the angles rounded, tridentate callus, the central tooth longer. Epidendrum platystomum Hágsater & L.Sánchez and Epidendrum platysomoides Hágsater & L.Sánchez, both have small white flowers with sepals .1 to .124" [2.5-3.1 mm] long, the column with a tall, narrow aperture formed by the prominent, laminar wings of the column which form a funnel." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms Epidendrum sanchoi var. exasperatum Ames & C.Schweinf. 1930

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 33. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 120. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936 Epidendrum sanchoi var. exasperatum; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956 as E sanchoi var exasperatum; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993 as E sanchoi var exasperatum; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 922 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1142 Hagsater 2008 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1176 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section;

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