Epidendrum mixtoides Hágsater & Dodson 1993 GROUP Ramosum

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The E mixtum-Like Epidendrum

Flower Size .8” [2 cm]

Found in Ecuador in very wet, tall rainforests at elevations around 250 meters as a large sized, hot growing epiphyte with cane-like, branching, terete, more or less flexuous, branches much shorter stems carrying numerous, equidistant, all along the main stem in youth, 2 to 3 on the branches, aggregate towards the apex, narrowly elliptic-ligulate, coriaceous, asymetrically bilobed leaves that blooms in the winter on a terminal, arising on both the main stem and the branches, on a mature main stem may occur twice, occuring only once on the branches, racemose, arcuate, zig-zag, alternate, 5 to 8 flowered inflorescence with prominent, much longer than the ovary, conduplicate floral bracts and carrying resupinate, greenish white, slightly fragrant flowers.

"Epidendrum mixtoides belongs to the GROUP Ramosum characterized by the monopodial, branching stems the spike-like, distichous inflorescence, and the single callus The species is similar to E. mixtum Schltr. Both species have erect, branching stems with a raceme of whitish flowers produced from the apex of secondary, short stems or branchlets, zigzag rachis, floral brads much longer than the ovary, and sepals and petals over .36" [9 mm] long. However, E. mixtoides djfférs from E. mixtum in having a triangular-hastate, ecallose lip with the lateral prominences rounded, instead of triangular-cordate with a truncate callus. Pressed specimens of both species are difficult to distinguish unless the lip is flattened, but their geographical areas are widely separated and while E. mixtum is a high altitude species, often found in mixed pine-oak forests, E. mixtoides is found at very low elevations in very wet, tall rain forest. E. ramosum, which has been found at slightly higher elevation in the same general area as E. mixtoides, can be easily distinguished by its smaller flowers, the sepals being .2 to .24" [5 to 6 mm] long." Hagsater etal 1993

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 2 Plate 122 Hagsater & Sanchez 1993 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 2 Plate 159 Hagsater & Dodson 1993 drawing fide;

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