LCDP Photo /TYPE Photo by B. J. Zambrano R. and The AMO Herbario Website
AND AGAIN 
Common Name The Chilla Mountains Epidendrum [In reference to the small Cordillera de Chilla, where the species has been collected, in the Province of El Oro]
Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]
Found in El Oro province of Ecuador on the Cordillera de Chilla as well as the Cordillera de Corredores, from the foot of the western Cordillera de los Andes in the Province of El Oro, at elevations of 1540 to 1800 meters as a miniature sized, cool growing epiphyte with cane-like, produced from the lower internode of the previous stem, terete at base, somewhat laterally compressed at the apex stem with the base covered by non-foliar, tubular, scarious, becoming fibrous with age sheaths and carrying 3 to 5, distributed along the apical half of the stem, articulate, alternate, spreading, fleshy-coriaceous; sheaths tubular, somewhat infundibuliform at the apex, longitudinal striated; blade oblong-ovate, obtuse, unequally bilobed, mucronate, margin entire, revolute leaves that blooms in the fall and again in the winter on a terminal, erect, arising through a single, conduplicate, narrowly obovate, obtuse spathe, peduncle .2 to .48" [5 to12 mm] long, thin, laterally compressed, straight; rachis .08 to .12" [2.0 to 2.5 mm] long, straight, I1.2" [3 cm] long (including the flowers), apical, racemose, simultaneously 2 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, linear-triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, erect, green flowers with the fragrance not registered.
"Epidendrum montischillaense belongs to the GROUP Megagastrium SUBGROUP Cleisogastrium, characterized by the small plants, stems produced from the middle internodes of the previous stem, inflorescences with 1 to 2 spathes, erect with 1 to 2 non-resupinate flowers, lip ecallose, entire or clearly 3-lobed, the lip usually nearly completely free from the column. The new species has leaves .96 to 1.28" x .48 to .68" [2.4 to 3.2 x 1.2 to 1.7 cm] long, oblong-ovate, non-resupinate green flowers, sepals .56 to .64" [14 to 16 mm] long, petals .52 to .56" [3 to 3.5 mm] wide, lip totally united to the column, always wrapped around the column and completely covering it in natural position, base truncate with lateral lobes sub-quadrate, forming an acute angle. Epidendrum niebliense is vegetatively similar, but sepals are 5.2" [12.7 mm] long, a sub-orbicular-rhombic lip free from the column, flat, spreading, ecallose. Epidendrum cleistogastrium Hágsater & Dodson has yellow, cleistogamous flowers, and a lip, 3-lobed and cuneate, with the lateral lobes semi-obovate, which embraces the column and joined only to the base of the column. Epidendrum amplexigastrium Hágsater & Dodson is very similar but the flowers are copper-colored, sepals 7-veined, and the lip excavate in the disc, papillose, base of lip cuneate, lateral lobes obliquely oblong, apex rounded. Epidendrum marsupiale F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. has very thin stems, leaves .44 to 1.2" x .32 to .6" [11 to 30 x 8 to 15 mm], oblong-elliptic, distant from each other, sepals .48" [12 mm] long, a similar lip in both shape and size but the lateral lobes are separated by deep sinuses and spreading in front of the column, the disc of the lip excavate. These last two species having an excavate lip and the column united to the lip belong to the GROUP Megagastrium SUBGROUP Geminflorum." Hagsater etal 2019
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1742 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 Drawing/photo fide
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