Epidendrum myodes Rchb.f. 1866 GROUP Anceps SUBGROUP Polynathum

Photo by © Pupulin and The Epidendra Website

Drawing Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

LATE

Common Name The Mouse-Like Epidendrum [refers to the lateral lobes of the lip]

Flower Size about 3/8" [1 cm]

Found from Chiapas state of Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama in cloud forests at elevations of 1000 to 2000 meters on tree trunks as a medium sized, cool growing epiphyte and occasional litho-terrestrial with erect, terete, gradually thickening stems with several, scarious, acuminate sheaths and carrying from the middle, several, thin, coriaceous, narrowly elliptic, acute, carinate, basally clasping leaves that blooms in the late spring and summer on a terminal and lateral, densely racemose or few branched panicle, 15 to 40 flowered, laterally compressed inflorescence with a few, imbricate, inflated, acuminate basal bracts.

Distinguished by the cylindrical stems, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate leaves, the long, racemose inflorescence with densely many flowers with tepals that are .2" [5 mm] long, the lateral lobes of the lip have a deep cleft that forms 2 lobes, the lower rounded and the upper acuminate, acute and the median lobe is oblong-rectangular with a cleft bilobed apex.

"Epldendrum myodes belongs to the GROUP Anceps , which is recognized by the simple stems, generally elongate, compound racemose inflorescence producing new successive racemes with time, fleshy f1owers, fiflform to narrowly spatulate petals, and the SUBGROUP Polynathum which has elongate, not subcorymbose racemes. The species is recognized by the delicate plants, terete stems, small flowers, sepals .12 to .2" [3 to 5 mm] long, and the bilobed lateral lobes of the lip with the basal lobe rounded and the long, acuminate, falcate, apical lobe. Epidendrum muricatisepalum Hágsater, an endemic from Costa Rica has laterally compressed stems, large flowers with sepals .4 to .44" [10 to 11 mm] long, the ovary and dorsal surface of the sepals densely muricate-strigous, and the lateral lobes of the lip divided into variously angled, subtriangular lobes. Epidendrum pergameneum Rchb .f. from Costa Rica and Panama has laterally compressed stems, apical and lateral inflorescence, though these are short, verrucose-papillose sepals and ovary, and the sepals are .4 to .52" [10 to 13 mm] long and the lobes of the lip twice as long as broad. Epidendrum polyanthum Lindl. from Mexico and Guatemala has large plants and flowers, terete stems, and the lateral lobes of the lip semiovate with a small sinus in the margin." Hagsater etal 2007

Synonyms Epidendrum polyanthum var. myodes (Rchb.f.) Ames, F.T.Hubb. & C.Schweinf. 1935

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 17: 35. Panama Schlechter 1922; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 40. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936 as Epidendrum polyanthum var myodes; The Orchids of Panama L.O. Williams & P Allen 1946 as E polyanthum var myodes; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956 as Epidendrum polyanthum var myodes; AOS Bulletin Vol 26 No 10 1957; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1321 Atwood 1989 drawing fide; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; AOS Bulletin Vol 63 No 1 1994 photo fide; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003 drawing; Vanishing Beauty, Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005 photo; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 764 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 963 Hagsater 2007 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1156 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 see recognition section; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1355 Hagsater 2010 see recognition section

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