Epidendrum neoporpax Ames 1934 GROUP Polychlamys SUBGROUP Octomerioides
Photo/Drawing by R Jimenez M. and The AMO Herbario Website
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Common Name or Meaning The New Porpax Epidendrum
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Cuba and Dominican Republic in montane wet forests at elevations of 300 to 1300 meters as a mini-miniature to miniature sized, hot to cool growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, arching, terete, arising from the middle internode of the previous stem, enveloped in youth by 1 to 2 sheaths and carrying 1 to 2, apical, aggregate towards the apex of the stem, semi-terete, succulent-coriaceous, narrowly ovate, acute to obtuse leaves that blooms in the fall through winter on a shorter than the leaf, .8 to 1.6" [2 to 4 cm] long, arched, distichous, laxly, mostly simultaneously, 4 to 7 flowered inflorescence with longer than the ovary, conduplicate, glumaceous, ovate, obtuse to rounded floral bracts annd carrying distichous, lip always towards the rachis, green to white flowers; without fragrance.
"Epidendrum neoporpax (Rchb.f.) Ames, from Cuba and Hispaniola belongs the the GROUP Polychlamys characterized by the successive lateral growths, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, the distichous, apical inflorescence with prominent, conduplicate, acute floral bracts, and the A href="grouppolychlamys.htm#sec2"> SUBGROUP Octomerioides which has slightly thickened stems, rigid, fleshy-thickened, linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate leaves, the apex unequally bilobed. The species has smaller plants, with 2 to 4, short, narrow leaves .64 to 3.4" x .16 to .48" [1.6 to 8.5 x 0.4 to 1.2 cm], white to greenish yellow flowers, sepals .24 to .28" [6 to 7 mm] long, the lip ovate-cordate and the ovary inflated without forming a vesicle. E octomerioides differs by the larger plant, slightly thickened stems, 1 to 2, apical, linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate, suberect, very fleshy-thickened leaves, and the white (rarely greenish white) flowers, the sepals .3 to .4" [7.5 to 10 mm] long, and the triangular-cordiform lip with two very small calli." Adapted from E octomerioides Icones 9 Plate 967 Hagsater etal 2007
Synonyms Auliza vestita Acuña 1939; Epidendrum porpax Rchb.f 1865; Epidendrum porpax var. domingensis Cogn. 1912; Epidendrum vestitum Ames 1923
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Catologo Descriptiva De Las Orquideas Cubanas Acuna 1987 as Auliza vestita; Iconografia de Orquideas Cubanas Perez & Bocourt 1997 drawing hmm; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 967 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 photo fide; Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles Ackerman 2014; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1744 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 Drawing/photo fide
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