Epidendrum nutantirhachis Ames & C.Schweinf. 1930 GROUP Ramosum SUBGROUP Rugosum
TYPE Drawing by © Hagsater and The AMO Herbaria Website
Specimen by © Standley and Epidendra Webpage
EARLY 
THROUGH EARLIER
Common Name The Nutant Rachis Epidendrum
Flower Size .5" [1.25 cm]
Found in Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador in pluvial cloud and oak forests at elevations of 1400 to 2300 meters as a medium to large sized, cool to cold growing epiphtye with a branching, terete, cane-like stem producing secondary slightly shorter, thinner stems and these in turn produce short branches from the main, secondary and subapical internodes of the previous flowering branch and carrying numerous, all along the main and secondary stems, 2 to 5 on the short flowering branches, spreading, ligulate-elliptic, obliquely bilobed apically, coriaceous, slightly rugose leaves that blooms in the early spring through earlier fall on a terminal, racemose, distichous, erect to arching, nutant, rigid, straight, thick, terete, rachis zigzag, 2 to 6 flowered inflorescence arising on the secondary and flowering branches, with as long to slightly longer than the ovary, conduplicate, not imbricating, ovate, acute floral bracts and carrrying simultaneous, non-resupinate, nocturnal and early morning scented flowers.
"Epidendrum nutantirhachis Ames & C.Schweinf. belongs to the GROUP Ramosum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching stems, the spike-like, distichous inflorescence, and the single callus, and the SUBGROUP Rugosum which has branching habit with few-flowered inflorescences from short, secondary stems and the leaf-sheaths rugose. The species can be recognized by the robust terete, sinuous stem with somewhat rugose leaf sheaths, ligulate-elliptic leaves, erect to arching, rigid, distichous inflorescence with 2 to 6 flowers, and zigzag rachis, fhe floral bracts not imbricating, of equal length or slightly longer than the ovary, lip widely triangular to triangular-cordiform, lip that completely clasps the column, the callus fleshy, tridentate, prolonged into a very high, fleshy keel, the column with a parallel dorsal tooth and a pair of lateral fleshy, flattened processes and non-imbricate, longer than the ovary floral bracts. It is similar to Epidendrum orthodontum Hágsater & L.Sánchez which has larger flowers, sepals .36 to .48" [9 to 12 mm] long, the lip .32 to .36" [8 to 9 mm] long the lip 3-lobed with the midlobe triangular. Epidendrum chirripoeme Hágsater has laterally compressed stems, a triangular, ecallose lip with a smooth disc, and the column apicaIy unornamented." Hagsater etal 2007
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 358 Hagsater & Sanchez 1999 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 361 Hagsater & Sanchez 1999 see recognition section; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 8 Plate 872 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 966 Hagsater 2007 drawing ok; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 photo fide;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
