Epidendrum ortizii Hagsater & Santiago 2013 GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Paniculatum
Photo by © Padre Pedro Ortiz
TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
EARLY 
EARLY 
Common Name Ortiz's Epidendrum [Colombian Jesuit Priest, Librarian, Orchid Enthusiast and good friend 1900's to 2012]
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Cundinamarca and Santander departments of Colombia on the western slopes of the Eastern Cordillera at elevations of 1800 to 2500 meters as a large to giant sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial or lithophyte with erect, simple, canelike, laterally compressed, straight stems carrying numerous, alternate, articulate, narrowly elliptic, acuminate, margin entire leaves that blooms in the early summer through early winter on a terminal, apical, paniculate, erect, lax, flowering only once, with 5 to 10 branches, 2,8 to 6" [7 to 15 cm] long, some of these themselves branched, spreading to sub-spreading with respect to the rachis, peduncle 1.6 to 2.6" [4.5 to 6.5 cm] long, laterally compressed, straight, thin, provided with 1 to 3 tubular, acuminate, long bracts, 12 to 15.2" [30 to 38 cm] long, simultaneous 50 to 130 flowered inflorescence with less than half the length of the ovary, linear-triangular, acuminate, amplexicaul floral bracts.
"Epidendrum ortizii belongs to the GROUP Pseudepidendrum which is characterized by caespitose plants, cane-like stems, acute to acuminate leaves, usually apical inflorescence, the mostly filiform petals and the lip usually 3-lobed with 3 parallel fleshy keels, the apical lobe often bifurcate, the “bird-wing” type pollinia, at least the inner pair, and SUBGROUP Paniculatum, which has filiform petals, all pollinia “bird-wing” type, green and white flowers, often marked with purple on the disc of the lip and apex of the column. The species is recognized by the ca. 40" [100 cm] tall plants, the leaves narrowly elliptic to elliptic 5.6 to 6.2" x .8 to 1.6" [14 to 15.5 x 2 to 4 cm), lax-flowered, paniculate inflorescence, flowers “white” to green with the lip and apical half of the column white, the disc with numerous dark purple markings which turn pomegranate-red with age; sepals reflexed, .4" [10 mm] long, lateral lobes of the lip triangular-ovate with the margin sub-crenate. Epidendrum floribundum Kunth (endemic to Amazonian Peru at elevations of 450 to 1200 meters) has shorter inflorescences, 6 to 8" [15 to 20 cm] long with fewer flowers, flowers green with the lip and apex of the column immaculate white, lateral lobes of the lip semi-orbicular to subquadrate. Epidendrum macroceras Schltr. has shorter plants, to 20" [50 cm] tall, yellow-green flowers, the lip white, immaculate, and the midlobe forming a pair of oblong, falcate lobes. Epidendrum angaritae Hágsater has spreading greenish-brown flowers, the lip white tinged with purple, rather large flowers with sepals .6 to .68" [15 to 17 mm] long. Epidendrum lilacinoides Hágsater & E.Santiago has purple flowers with a white lip, sepals .44 to .56" [11 to 14 mm] long. Epidendrum paniculovenezolanum Hágsater & E.Santiago has dorsally deep purple leaves, large flowers with sepals .52 to .72" [13 to 18 mm] long, greenish brown with the lip white, immaculate." Hagsater etal 2013
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1464 Hagsater & Sanchez 2013 drawing fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo fide;
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