Epidendrum odontantherum Hágsater & Dodson 2004 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Renilabium

Photo by © Alexander Reynolds and The University of California Davis Website

TYPE Drawing

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

LATE EARLIER

Common Name The Toothed Anther Epidendrum

Flower Size 1” [2.5 cm]

Found in central Ecuador on the upper Pacific slope of the Andes in the provinces of El Oro and Pichincha at elevations of 1850 to 2500 meters as a large to giant sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with branching, cane-like, terete below, somewhat laterally compressed above, straight stems carrying 8 to 12, along the branching stem [main stem not seen], alternate, articulate, oblong to narrowly elliptic, bilobed, low dorsal keel, coriaceous, margin entire leaves that blooms in the summer, fall and earlier winter on a terminal, racemose to paniculate, arching, peduncle thick, with a single intermediate, triangular, acute bract, often producing another raceme from the bract, rachis straight, terete, dense, simultaneously 15 flowered inflorescence with small, much shorter than the ovary, acute floral bracts and carrying resupinate, nonfragrant flowers with the sepals and petals pale green turning yellowish green and the lip greenish white.

"Epidendrum odontantherum belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Renilabium which is characterized by the tall plants, monopodial, branching habit, large, bilobed leaves, racemose inflorescence, entire to bilobed lip with a channel at the base of the lip between the calli. The new species is recognized by the secondary raceme which is produced from the bract of the peduncle with the buds developing when the main raceme is in full flower; the lip has a basal channel-shaped depression at the base, bordered by a pair of keels which become very thick towards the apex, where they fuse with a thick apical keel. Epidendrum sagasteguii Hagsater, has flowers that open from the base of the inflorescence towards the apex, the flowers are similarly sized, but the petals have an irregular erose margin, the channel-like depression at the base of the lip is bordered by narrow, short keels, and the apical keel is short and thick; the apex of the anther is subapiculate, margin entire. Epidendrum renilabium Schltr. produces the flowers from the apex of the inflorescence backwards, the flowers are concolor, green, the sepals are .56 to .72" [14 to 18 mm] long, and the petals have an entire margin. Epidendrum renilabioides has flowers which open from the apex of the inflorescence towards the base, white to bronzy greenish, the lip is reniform, apiculate, with a large "Y" shaped callus in the middle of the lip, the depression occupies only 1/3 the length of the lip; the anther is apically short-dentate." Hagsater etal 2004

Synonyms

ReferencesW3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI * Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 767 Hagsater & Dodson 2004 drawing fide;

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