Epidendrum oellgaardii Hágsater & Dodson 1993

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

Drawing

Drawing by © Bennett & Christenson and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website

Part Shade Cold LATE Winter EARLYSpring

Common Name Oellgaard's Epidendrum [Danish Botanist and orchid collector in Ecuador current]

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in southernmost Ecuador and Piura department of Peru in montane cloud forests at elevations of 2800 to 3400 meters as a miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with arising from the base of the previous pseudobulb, very wrinkled, yellowish becoming brown, pyriform pseudobulbs carrying 1 to 3, apical, linear-elliptic, subcoriaceous, dorsally carinate, aristate to 3 toothed apically leaves that blooms in the late winter through early spring on a terminal, on a newly developing stem, very short, erect, occuring only once, simultaneously 3 to 5 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, long, acute floral bracts.

"Epidendrum oellgaardii can be readily identified by the prominent, pyriform pseudobulbs about .6 to 1" [15 to 25 mm] long, with 1 to 3 linear leaves near the apex, and the short raceme with 3 to 5 flowers. The only species in the genus which seems remotely similar is E. harmsianum Kraenzl., of which we have only seen a photo (F! NY!) of the type which was destroyed in Berlin, but that species can be distinguished by the cylindric, up to 1.6" [4.5 cm] long pseudobulbs, with two apical leaves .64" [1.6 cm] wide and sepals .64" [1.6 cm] long. Both species are apparently endemic to the high páramos of the Andes." Hagsater etal 1993

Here is a list of the Peruvian Epidendrum with true pseudobulbs, E blepharistes, E compressibulbum, E harmsianum, E microcattleya, E oellgaardii, E parvilabre, E polystachyum, Epidendrum pseudopolystachum, E rupestre, E saxicola and E viviparum.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI * Icones Orchidacearum 2 Plate 164 Hagsater 1993 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 249 Bennett & Christenson 1995 drawing fide;

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