Epidendrum molinae P.Ortiz & Hágsater 2013 GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Incomptum
TYPE photo by C Molina/ TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
Common Name Molina’s Epidendrum [Colombian Orchid Enthusiast and collector of the type current]
Flower Size 1.2” [3 cm]
Found in central Colombia in the department of Tolima on the eastern slopes of the central cordillera in humid montane cloud forests at elevations around 2000 meters as a small to medium sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with simple, arundinaceous, terete, straight stems carrying 2 to 4, aggregate towards the apex of the stem, alternate, articulate, widely elliptic, acute, subcoriaceous, smooth, margin entire leaves that blooms in the spring on a terminal, without a spathe, arching-nutant, racemose, 4.8” [12 cm] long, densely successively starting at the base, eventually all open at one time, 40 flowered inflorescence with triangular, acuminate, half as long as the ovary or less floral bracts and carrying internally green flowers with the sepals externally tinged light purple and a light yellow anther.
"Epidendrum molinae belongs to the GROUP Arbuscula which is characterized by the erect habit with successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, roots generally only from the base of the primordial stem, and the SUBGROUP Incomptum which has a short apical inflorescence with fleshy yellowish to green to violet-green to black flowers with short ovaries, the lip entire to 3-lobed. The species is recognized by the widely elliptic leaves half as wide as they are long, the arching-nutant, densely many flowered inflorescence with green flowers, the sepals dorsally lightly tinged with purple, the oblanceolate, 3-veined petals and the wide, 3-lobed lip, the lateral lobes obliquely sub-quadrate, and small mid-lobe transversely rectangular, twice as wide as it is long, short-apiculate. Epidendrum incomptum Rchb.f. has the mid-lobe as long as it is wide, and the lateral lobes of the lip are forward positioned, more or less triangular, so that the base is truncate, not cordate, flowers are dark green and ecallose. Epidendrum platyglossum Rchb.f. has unequal, long, narrow, acute leaves, 2.8 to 4.6" x .52" [7 to 11.5 x 1.4 cm], acute tepals, the lateral sepals prominently aristate, and the deeply cordate lip with the lateral lobes somewhat larger than the mid-lobe which is obcuneate, bilobed and retuse. Epidendrum subreniforme C.Schweinf. has leaves three times longer than wide, to 1.84" [4.6 cm] long, lip reniform in outline, .48 x 1.04" [12 x 26 mm], lightly contracted on each side, not 3-lobed, base widely obcuneate, apex apiculate. Epidendrum envigadoënse Hágsater, also found in the same general area, has narrower leaves, fewer flowers, wider, obtuse petals, a clearly 3-lobed lip .7 to ,76" [17.5 to 19 mm] wide, the lateral lobes obliquely elliptic, the midlobe somewhat larger, emarginate, forming two semi-orbicular lobes." Hagsater etal 2013
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1458 P Ortiz & Hagsater 2013 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1460 Hagsater & Sanchez 2013 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo fide;
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