Epidendrum pachyclinium Hágsater & E.Santiago 2016GROUP Megalospathum SUBGROUP Vesicicaule

TYPE Drawing TYPE Photo by © Sebastian Vieira/TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The Thick Clinandrium Hood Epidendrum

Flower Size 1.2” [3 cm]

Found in Antioquia, Risaralda, Cauca, Vavlle de Cauca and Narino departments of Colombia without locational data at elevations around 1600 to 2000 meters as a small sized, cool, pendent growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, newly arising from the basal internode of the previous stem carrying 7 to 10, all along the upper 2/3’s of the stem, unequal, basal one smaller, alternate, articulate, obliquely narrowly lanceolate, short-acuminate, margin entire leaves that blooms in the fall through spring on a terminal, erect, arising through 1 to 2, hemi-ovate, acute, conduplicate, oblique spathes, sessile, .24” [6 mm] long overall, terete, thin, simultaneously 2 flowered inflorescence with totally hidden within the spathe floral bracts and carrying resupinate, green flowers with white calli.

"Epidendrum pachyclinium belongs to GROUP Megalospathum characterized by the caespitose but branching habit, many-leaved stem, fleshy, oblique leaves, a short, few flowered, raceme subtended by large semi-ovate spathaceous bracts, resupinate flowers, the column more or less united to the lip, and the SUBGROUP Vesicicaule which has a sympodial habit, numerous leaves throughout the stems, the leaves concolor, green, lip cordiform and bicallose. The species is recognized by narrowly lanceolate, oblique leaves 1.12 to 3.32" x .24 to .44" [2.8 to 8.3 x 0.6 to 1.1 cm], carrying 2, large flowers with sepals .68" [17 mm] long, the 3-veined petals, and the orbicular-cordiform lip, bicallose, the white, laminar, parallel calli and the disc with 2 very short, low, inconspicuous ribs in front of the calli; column arched, clinandrium-hood is prominent, fleshy and upturned; found at elevations of 1600 to 2000 meters. Epidendrum vesicicaule has pendent plants, leaves narrowly lanceolate, 1.4 to 2.4" x .16 to .32" [3.5 to 6.0 x 0.4 to 0.8 cm], inflorescence 4-flowered, sepals .48 to .52" [12 to 13 mm] long, petals straight, neither falcate nor oblique, lip cordiform with a pair of fleshy calli, with the disc prominently fleshy; column slightly upturned along the basal half, clinandrium-hood fleshy, truncate, straight; found at elevations of 3300 to 3800 meters. Epidendrum cardiomorphum Hágsater & E.Santiago is vegetatively very similar but the leaves are 1.6 to 3.44" x .2 to .4" [4.0 to 8.6 x 0.5 to 1.0 cm] long, inflorescence 2 flowered, sepals .56 to .72" [14 to 18 mm] long, petals slightly falcate, lip triangular-cordiform with a pair of small, laterally compressed, parallel calli, the disc of the lip thin, not fleshy thickened, with three very thin, low, parallel ribs which disappear before the middle of the lip, and with multiple radiating thickened veins; clinandrium-hood slightly surpassing the body of the column, fleshy, straight; growing at elevations of 1500 to 2000 meters. Epidendrum falcivesicicaule Hágsater & E.Santiago has been confused with this species, but has a two flowered inflorescence with 2 obliquely hemi-elliptic, oblique imbricating spathes, the cordiform lip with a pair of calli, elongate, prominent, on a thickened, rounded white, spongy, platform; clinandrium-hood prominent, slightly incurved; it is also found at lower elevations, 1900 to 2700 meters. Epidendrum platypetalum Hágsater has narrow, ovate leaves, .2 to 1.84" [0.5 to 4.6 cm] long, the lip cordiform, with a thin mid-rib, and elliptic petals, .312" [7.7 mm] wide. Epidendrum tigriphylllum Hágsater has ovate-lanceolate leaves .64 to 1.52" [1.6 to 3.8 cm] long, grayish green with transverse purple bands, sepals are .88 to .92" [22 to 23 mm] long, callus a single prominent mass divided into 4 lobes in two superimposed pairs. Epidendrum lagotis Rchb.f. has ovate-elliptic leaves .8 to 2.4" x .4 to .92" [2 to 6 x 1.0 to 2.3 cm], the apex sub-obtuse, sepals .68 to 1" [17 to 25 mm] long, petals widely spatulate, .84 x .32" [21 x 8 mm], and the lip orbicular, the disc with a short mid-rib." Hagsater etal 2016

This species is in a group of about 12 species that have often in the past been considered synomonous and are spread from Colombia to Bolivia. The separated species include E. cardiomorphum, Epidendrum calyptratoides, Epidendrum calyptratum, Epidendrum calyptrectylosum; Epidendrum chaparense, Epidendrum falcivesicicaule, Epidendrum lagotis,Epidendrum platypetalum and Epidendrum vesicicaule.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [2] Plate 1574 Hagsater & Sanchez 2016 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [2] Plate 1581 Hagsater & Sanchez 2016 see recognition section; *Icones Orchidacearum 15 [2] Plate 1590 Hagsater & Santiago 2016 drawing fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo fide;

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