TYPE Photo by Andreas Kaye /TYPE Drawing by R Jimenez Mand The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Round Heart Shaped Lip Epidendrum
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in Quindío and Valle de Cauca departments of Colombia on the southern Central Range to northern Ecuador on both slopes of the Andes, at elevations of 2300 to 3200 meters as a small sized, cold growing terrestrial and epiphyte with simple, cane-like, produced from the middle of the previous stem, terete at base, somewhat laterally compressed towards the apex stems; base covered by non-foliar tubular (somewhat infundibuliform apically when dry), scarious, becoming fibrous with age sheaths and carrying 3 to 4, distributed along the apical 1/4 of stems, alternate, spreading, coriaceous, yellowish green; sheaths tubular, somewhat infundibuliform, minutely striated; blade elliptic to narrowly elliptic, apex unequally bilobed, margin entire leaves that blooms in the winter, spring and summer on a terminal, erect, arising through 1 to 2, tubular at base, conduplicate above, apex obtuse to rounded (obovate when spread), membranous spathes, peduncle .24 to .28" [6 to 7 mm] long, totally hidden within the spathe; rachis short, 2 to 2.4" [5 to 6 cm] long (including the flowers), apical, racemose, simultaneously 2 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular-ovate, sub-acute, embracing floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, erect, fleshy, sepia-ochre turning bright orange with age flowers with the fragrance not registered.
"Epidendrum orbicordichilum belongs to GROUP Geminiflorum characterized by having a sympodial, scandent, straggling habit, semi-ovate spathe, erect stems with 3 to 10 coriaceous leaves, few non-resupinate flowers, and a lip with laminar calli, disc flat. The new species is recognized by the leaves 1.48 to 3.6" x .72 to 1.4" [3.7 to 9.0 x 1.8 to 3.5 cm], elliptic to narrowly elliptic, flowers sepia-ochre turning orange with age, sepals .8" [20 mm] long, the margin spreading, petals .68 x .216" [17 x 5.4 mm], elliptic; lip .56 x .52" [14 x 14 mm], orbicular-cordiform, with a pair of low laminar calli. Epidendrum cuencanum is vegetatively similar, but the flowers are greenish white, sepals .86" [21.5 mm] long with the margins slightly revolute, petals .8 x .08" [20 x 2.0 mm], linear; lip .52 x .5" [13.0 x 12.5 mm], cordiform, with a pair of small calli. Epidendrum megagastrium Lindl. has leaves 1.2 to 2" x .72 to .92" [3.0 to 5.0 x 1.8 to 2.3 cm], flowers copper brown, sepals .802" [20.5 mm] long, petals .74 x .188" [18.5 x 4.7 mm], oblong-elliptic; lip .46 x .4" [11.4 x 10.0 mm], narrowly cordiform with a pair of fleshy, divergent calli and with 3 low ribs, the very evident mid-rib disappearing before reaching the apex. Epidendrum azuayense Hágsater & E.Santiago has leaves .4 to 2" x .32 to .6" [1.0 to 5.0 x 0.8 to 1.5 cm], oblong-elliptic, flowers orange, sepals .52 to .72" [13 to 18 mm] long, petals 12-16 x 5.0-6.0 mm, oblanceolate with the margin crenulate; lip .32 t o.36" x .44" [8.0 to 9.0 x 11 mm], widely cordiform. Epidendrum geminiflorum Kunth has leaves 1.08 to 3.6" x .48 to 1.04" [2.7 to 9.0 x 1.2 to 2.6 cm], oblong; flowers greenish yellow, sepals .56 to .72" [14 to 18 mm] long and the margin revolute, petals .576 to 6.4"x .104 to .132" [14.4 to 16.0 x 2.7 to 3.3 mm], narrowly lanceolate; lip .4 to .52" x .32 to .48" [10 to 13 x 8.0 to 12 mm], 3-lobed, the lateral lobes sub-orbicular to hemi-elliptic, small." Hagsater etal 2019
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1746 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 Drawing/photo fide
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