Epidendrum ocotalense Hágsater & L.Sánchez 2008 GROUP Nocturnum

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Ocotal Epidendrum [Capital of Nueva Segovia Nicaragua near where the type was collected]

Flower Size 1” [2.5 cm]

Found in northern Nicaragua at elevations around 1220 meters as a small sized, cool growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, ancipitous, short stems carrying 2 to 4, along the apical half of the stem, coriaceous, bilobed, evident dorsal keel leaves that blooms in the late fall and early winter on a terminal, racemose to pluriracemose, successively single flowered inflorescence carrying resupinate flowers that can arise over several years with much shorter than the ovary, floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers without color or fragrance data.

"Epidendrum ocotalense belongs to the GROUP Nocturnum which is characterized by the sympodial, caespitose plants, has cane-like, non-thickened stems, short, racemose or pluri-racemose inflorescence, without spathaceous bracts, usually large, star-shaped flowers, with similar sepals and petals, and usually successive flowers; the flowers are mostly indistinguishable in shape. The species can be recognized by the relatively short plants, stems and leaves reddish, floral segments small and relatively wide, partly spreading sepals .6 to .72" [15 to 18 mm] long, petals .48 to .52" [12 to 13 mm] long, petals rhombic, lip 3-lobed, midlobe very short .12 x .0832" [3.0 x 2.8 mm], subquadrate, the apex triangular, obtuse, only slightly surpassing lhe lateral lobes. It is very similar to Epidendrum buenaventurae F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. but that species has larger, spreading flowers with sepals 1 to 1.84" [25 to 46 mm], linear-lanceolate petals, the lateral lobes of the lip ovate-triangular, acute to rounded, with numerous thickened veins, and a linear-lanceolate, long midlobe .92 to 1.8" {23 to 45 mm], rare along the Pacific slope of Mesoamerica to western Colombia. Epidendrum eburneum Rchb. f. has green leaves, long spreading sepals 1.04 to 1.84" [26 to 46 mm], linear-lanceolate, acuminate petals, and a suborbicular, apiculate lip, rarely with a short sinus on each side of the apicule; found along the Caribbean coast from Honduras to Panama. Epidendrum nocturnum Jacq. has terete stems, green leaves, long spreading sepals 1.6 to 2.8" [40 to 70 mm] long, linear-acuminate petals, and a deeply 3-lobed lip, with a long, linear, acuminate midlobe; widespread throughout the neotropics." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1148 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1149 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 drawing fide;

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