Epidendrum montistoletanum Hágsater & E.Santiago 2018 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Orgyale

TYPE Drawing

TYPE Photo © by Eric Hagsater/TYPE Drawing by R Jimenez and The AMO Herbario Website

Common Name The Cerro Toledo Epidendrum [A mountain in Loja and Zamora Chinchipe provinces of Ecuador]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Loja and Zamora Chinchipe provinces of Ecuador at elevations of 2800 to 3200 meters on or near the summit of peaks in very windy, foggy, cold conditions on road banks as a giant sized, cold growing terrestrial with cane-like, branching sub-apically when mature, erect, straight; main stem to 48" x .56" [120 x 1.4 cm], branches 6 to 8 x .02 .32" [15 to 20 x 0.5 to 0.8 cm]. carrying numerous on the main stem, 7 to 8 persistent towards the apex when producing branches; 8 on the branches, distributed throughout, distichous, sub-coriaceous, sub-spreading, very rigid, green, lustrous above, glaucous on the underside; sheaths tubular, striated, green tinged purple-black; blade 1 to 3.6" x 1 to 1.4" [2.5 to 9.0 x 2.5 to 3.2 cm], elliptic, apex rounded, margin entire leaves that blooms in the winter and spring on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle .02" [5 mm] long, terete, lacking bracts, 2.48" [6.2 cm] long, apical, flowering only once, racemose, erect, densely successivley to 12 flowered inflorescence with prominent though shorter than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, non-fragrant, fleshy, green tinged purple-black to totally purple-black flowers , except for the column which is green at the base.

"Epidendrum montistoletanum belongs to the 2018 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Orgyale which is characterized by the monopodial, subapical branching habit, erect to sub-erect inflorescences, lax, non-resupinate flowers, the lip entire. The species is recognized by the terrestrial, erect stems to 48" [120 cm] tall, leaves 1 to 3.6" x 1 to 1.4" [2.5 to 9.0 x 2.5 to 3.2 cm], elliptic, very rigid, inflorescence erect, the flowers green tinged purple-black to entirely purple-black, except for the green base of the column; lip sub-quadrate, corners rounded, sides slightly cleft beyond the middle, and the spatulate petals. Epidendrum chaoticum Hágsater & E.Santiago has plants up to 120" [3 meters] tall, epiphytic, scandent, leaves 1.6 to 2.8" x .6 to .72" [4 to 7 x 1.5 to 1.8 cm], narrowly elliptic, yellow flowers, lip slightly 3-lobed, and petals linear-oblanceolate. Epidendrum panduratum Hágsater & Dodson is vegetatively very similar, but the inflorescence is secund, flowers are yellow with the apex of the column and disc of the pandurate lip slightly dotted purple. Epidendrum quadrangulatum A.D.Hawkes has leaves 2.6 to 4" x .72 to .8" [6.5 to 10 x 1.8 to 2.0 cm], oblong-lanceolate, petals linear-oblanceolate, and the lip entire, quadrate." Hagsater 2018

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1645 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1834 Hagsater, Pfahl & Cisneros 2020 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1875 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1888 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section;

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