Epidendrum microcattleya (Kraenzl.) Schltr. 1921 GROUP Nanodes

Drawing by © M Pastorelli, Bennett & Christenson

Common Name The Tiny Cattleya-Like Epidendrum [refers to the plants resemblence to a Cattleya]

Flower Size . 4” [1 cm]

Found in Huancavelica department of Peru in cold, wet cloud forests at elevations around 3400 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing, ascending epiphyte with narrowly fusiform pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, lanceolate, apiculate, bilobed leaves that blooms in the spring and summer on a terminal, erect, peduncle terete, 2.4” [6 cm] long, 2 flowered inflorescence with minute floral bracts and carrying dark rose-pink to purple flowers.

Here is a list of the Peruvian Epidendrum with true pseudobulbs, E blepharistes, E compressibulbum, E harmsianum, E microcattleya, E oellgaardii, E parvilabre, E polystachyum, Epidendrum pseudopolystachum, E rupestre, E saxicola and E viviparum.

"Epidendrum micro-cattleya, part of the GROUP Nanodes characterized by the caespitose to creeping sympodial plants with the short stems enveloped completely by the base of the non articulate, flesshy, imbricate leaves and having a sessile, few flowered inflorescence. The species has 2 flowers, with the lip oriented inwards, towards each other, the petals about as wide as the sepals, and the lip produced from a sigmoid claw at the middle of the column, the column itself with a pair of prominent, short, wide, dolabriform wings. E beccerae is somewhat reminiscent to the species but the creeping habit, fusiform, uni-foliate pseudobulbs, the erect, few-flowered inflorescence, non-resupinate, second, purple flowers, the petals oblanceolate, the cordiform lip united to the column throughout separate it. of Epidendrum saxicola Kraenzl. has somewhat larger flowers, sepals .6" [15 mm] long, a prominent, funnel-shaped clinandrium-hood, and the convex lip is .4 x .4" [10 x 10 mm], sub-orbicular, somewhat pentagonal with the margin crenulate and spreading from the column, without embracing it. Epidendrum microcattleyioides D.E.Benn. & Christenson has 4 non-resupinate, yellow flowers, the margin white, the flowers crowded at the apex of the peduncle, which does not surpass the surrounding spathaceous bract, the lip is reniform with the apex widely emarginate, the petals wide, obovate-spatulate, the lateral sepals are not obliquely joined to the column, and the ovary is geniculate. " Adapted from E beccerae Icones Plate 1411 Hagsater etal 2013

Synonyms *Neolehmannia Micro-cattleya Kraaenzl. 1905

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Peru Vol 2 Schweinfurth 1959; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 643 Bennett & Christenson 2001 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1411 Hagsater & Santiago 2013 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1796 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 see recognition section;

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