TYPE Drawing by R. Jiménez M. and The AMO Herbario Website

Common Name The Nasturtium Like Lip Epidendrum [Refers to the peltate, eccentric leaves of Nasturtium W.T.Aiton, which have clearly marked radiating veins, and an undulate margin]

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Cajamarca department of Peru on the eastern slope of the Andes in semi-elfin wet primary forest, at elevations around 1870 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing epiphyte with laterally compressed stems carrying 20 to 25 per stem, distributed throughout the stems, articulate, distichous, spreading, fleshy, twisted so all are on the same plane as the stem as in Dichaea; tubular, laterally compressed, ancipitose, somewhat infundibuliform sheaths, blade anceolate to ovate-lanceolate, acute, margin entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the winter on a terminal, erect, without a spathe, rachis .2" [0.5 cm] long, totally hidden by the floral bracts .8" [2 cm] long including the flowers, apical, racemose, sessile, pendulous, simultaneously 3 flowered inflorescence with widely triangular, acute, embracing 3, resupinate, pale green flowers with the fragrance not recorded.

"Epidendrum nasturtichilum belongs to the GROUP Nanum , which is characterized by the Dichaea-like horizontal or pendulous stems, the inflorescence produced by pairs of opposite flowers without spathes, but with prominent floral bracts. The new species is recognized by the pale green flowers, sepals .36 to .38" [9.0-9.5 mm] long, petals .308" x .24" [7.7 x 0.6 mm], linear, falcate, the shallowly 3-lobed lip, which is overall somewhat peltate with a triangular mid-lobe with lateral lobes hemi-elliptic, having 3 radiating, arched, thickened veins on each lip lobe with an undulate margin, extended at the apex of each vein, and the ovary ventrally inflated along the apical ¾. Epidendrum nanosimplex has green flowers but the lip and apex of the column white, sepals .16 to .24" [4.0 to 6.0 mm] long, petals .14 to .176 x .04" [3.5 to 4.5 x 1.0 mm], narrowly oblanceolate, lip entire without thickened veins and an entire margin, ovary with a short, thickened vesicle. Epidendrum nanum C.Schweinf. has sepals .38 to .44" [9.5 to 11 mm] long, petals .368 x .04" [9.1 x 1.0 mm], linear, a lip clearly 3-lobed, the lateral lobes semi-ovate with the margin entire. Epidendrum integrinanum Hágsater is vegetatively similar but has 6 to 8 flowers, sepals .372 to .384" [9.3 to 9.6 mm] long, petals .36 x .024" [9.0 x 0.6 mm], oblique but not falcate, and a sub-entire lip, longer than wide, margin entire, lateral lobes much reduced." Hagsater etal 2020

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1782 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 TYPE Drawing/Photo fide;

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