Epidendrum montispichinchense Hágsater & Dodson 2001 GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Guacamayense

TYPE Drawing by © Lopez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The Mount Pichincha Epidendrum [A Mountain in north central Ecuador where the type was collected]

Flower Size .4” [1 cm]

Found in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Real a part of the Cordillera Oriental in cloud forests with tree ferns at elevations of 2800 to 3000 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with cane-like, terete, thin, straight, branches produced from the middle internodes of the previous stems carrying 5 to 8, all along the apical half of the stem, narrowly lanceolate, slightly falcate, acuminate, apical margin minutely dentate leaves that blooms in the summer through fall on a terminal, arising on both the main stem and the branches, arching-nutant, occuring over a long period, peduncle terete, filiform, unequally two winged towards the first bract, new racemes produced from each of the bracts, rachis flexuous, successively 1 to 2, 1 to 4 flowered inflorescence with much longer to shorter than the ovary, gradually smaller toward the apex, triangular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying flowers with the lip always faceing the rachis, and the petals are green.

"Epidendrum montispichinchense belongs to the GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Guacamayense characterized by the branching stems, verrucose sheaths, long, narrow, grassy leaves, and a filiform peduncle. The species is recognized by the erect branching stems with grassy, linear-elliptic, oblique leaves, an erect, paniculate inflorescence with a filiform straight peduncle, and short, distichous racemes of 2 to 3 successive flowers, and the widely ovate unornamented lip embracing the apex of the column without covering it. It closely resembles E. guacamayense which has a zigzag peduncle, the lip is minutely papillose and covers the column completely, leaving only a circular aperture at the apex, the column is geniculate with respect to the ovary and arches slightly upwards towards the apex. Epidendrum elleanthoides Schltr. has smaller flowers, sepals ca. .18" [4.5 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2001

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 461 Hagsater & Dodson 2001 drawing fide; Orchids of Bolivia Vol 2 Laelinae Vasquez and Ibisch 2004 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 718 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 735 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 775 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 8 Plate 830 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 961 Hagsater & Dodson 2007 drawing fide;

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