Epidendrum oreonastes Rchb.f. 1878 GROUP Cristatum SUBGROUP Cristatum
Photo by © Roberto Vasquez
Photo by © Alfredo F Fuentes and The I Naturalist Website
Common Name The Mountain Living Epidendrum
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Bolivia at elevations of 2000 to 3200 meters as a large sized, colld growing terrestrial with an erect, thick stem carrying many leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on an erect, 10" [25 cm] long, peduncle enveloped by imbricating, acuminate bracts, rachis 4" [10 cm] long, arching, many flowered inflorescence.
" Epidendrum oreonastes Rchb.f., belongs to the GROUP Cristatum which is characterized by the sympodial, caespitose habit, many-leaved stems, apical racemose inflorescence with several large, imbricating bracts, and producing successive racemes over the years from the same peduncle, and the SUBGROUP Cristatum , with generally greenish flowers, the lip with the margin of lateral lobes generally fimbriate-laciniate. The species which is endemic to Bolivia, has a 3-lobed lip, with the lateral lobes entire. It is similar to Epidendrum quinquepartitum Schltr. endemic to Bolivia, which has a less deeply divided lip, and thus 5-digitate, the basal lacinia of the lateral lobes wide; bright pink flowers, including the column and lip, with only the disc of the lip white, and stems relatively short, about 32" {80 cm] tall. Epidendrum cristatum Ruiz & Pavón, widespread from Mexico to Brazil has green flowers, sepals more or less mottled with reddish-brown dots. E septipartitum has gigantic 14' [420 cm] tall stems, many-flowered, sub-dense inflorescences, flowers very fleshy, fuchsia colored, with the lip and apex of the column white, lip 7-digitate, composed of the lateral lobes which are deeply 3-laciniate, and the mid-lobe rectangular-oblong, apex deeply bilobed, forming a pair of small lobes." Adapted from E septipartitum Icones Plate 1485 Hagsater etal 2013
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Bolivia Vol II Laelinae Vasquez & Ibisch 2004 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1485 Hagsater & Sanchez 2013 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1498 Hagsater & Santiago 2013 See recognition section;
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