Epidendrum nanegalense Hágsater & Dodson 2001 GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Paniculatum
Photos by © Lourens Grobler
TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Nanegal Epidendrum [A village in northern Ecuador]
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in northern Ecuador on the western slopes of the Andes in subtropical rainforests at elevations around 1600 to 2200 meters as a giant sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, terete stems carrying many, all along the stem, elliptic to narrowly elliptic, acuminate, margin entire, basally clasping leaves with tubular, smooth basal sheaths that blooms in the spring on an apical, paniculate, erect, 4" [10 cm] long inflorescence with simultaneously opening, resupinate flowers.
" Epidendrum nanegalense belongs to the GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Paniculatum which is recognized by the cane-like stems, paniculate inflorescence, filiform petals, thin column and unequal, bird-wing type pollinia. This species is recognized by the inflated nectary forming a prominent vesicle a rare occurrence in this group, large flowers, probably purple, the large, deeply cordate lip, the lateral lobes dolabriform and erose, the apical lobes divergent, dilated towards the apex. It has been misidentified as Epidendrum porphyreum due to the superficial appearance and color of the flowers, but that species does not have an inflated ovary, and has smaller flowers, the lip fleshy with the callus proportionately much larger, and the apical lobes triangular, narrowed towards the apex. Epidendrum peraltum Schltr. has larger f1owers, the sepals .6 to .72" [15-19 mm] long, the apical lobes small and opposite, with a large callus, and uninflated ovary. Epidendrum nanegalense is sympatric with Epidendrum embreei Dodson, and they have been collected together, though the latter has smaller, orange flowers with the segments partly spreading and a thin, uniflated ovary." Hagsater etal 2001
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 463 Hagsater 2001 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1320 Hagsater 2010 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1339 Hagsater & Dodson 2010 See Recognition section;
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