Epidendrum mojandae Schltr. 1921 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cernuum

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The Cerro Mojanda Epidendrum [a mountain in northern Ecuador where the species occurs]

Flower Size 1.2” [3 cm]

Found in northern Ecuador in the interandean valley at elevations of 2900 to 3800 meters as a medium to giant sized, cold growing terrestrial or rarely epiphyte with cane-like, terete, erect, straight, subapically branching, branches shorter than the main stem, carrying numerous on the main stem, 3 to 5 on the branches, all along the apical half of the stems, distichous, articulate, erect-spreading, coriaceous, oblong to oblong-elliptic, obtuse, bilobed, margin entire leaves that blooms at most any time of the year on a terminal, occuring only once, racmose, nutant, peduncle subterete, short, densely, simultaneously 15 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, linear, acuminate, amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying resupinate, very fleshy, glabrous, green to greenish white flowers with the sepals tinged reddish purple towards the apex.

"Epidendrum mojandae belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cernuum , characterized by the monopodial habit, cane-like stems with sub-apical branches which are considerably shorter than the main stem, coriaceous to subcoriaceous leaves, apex bilobed, and fleshy flowers, the lip 3-lobed. The species is recognized by the green to greenish white flowers somewhat tinged reddish purple, the .16 to .18" [4 to 4.5 mm] wide, oblong-oblanceolate, minutely apiculate petals, sepals .56 to .6" [14 to 15 mm] long, lateral lobes of the lip flabellate, less wide than the cuneate midlobe, which is very narrow at the base and widely sinuate apically. Epidendrum torquatum Lindl. is vegetatively very similar but the lateral lobes of the lip are wider than the midlobe which is obdeltoid with a tridentate apex. Epidendrum fagerlindii Hágsater & Dodson has elliptic, .28" [7 mm] wide petals with the apex rounded, not apiculate, and the midlobe of the lip is narrower than the lateral lobes. Epidendrum cotacachiense Hágsater & Dodson has creamy white to greenish cream colored flowers, the sepals somewhat dorsally tinged with brownish purple, sepals .546 to .64" [13.6 to 16 mm] long, petals obovate spatulate, lateral lobes of the lip dolabriform (nearly as wide as the midlobe), and the midlobe widely subdeltoid, emarginate and forming a pair of apical, obliquely sub-rectangular lobes." Hagsater etal 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 8: 76 Ecuador Schlechter 1921; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. Figuren-Atlas 57: 349 Schlechter 1929 drawing fide; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959 as E moyandae not = ?; Flora of Venezuela Vol 15 Parte 3 Foldats 1970 drawing not = E chinioides; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1214 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1231 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1265 Hagsater 2009 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1295 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1298 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------