TYPE Drawing by R Jimenez M. and The AMO Herbario Website

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Shovel Lip Epidendrum

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in central Ecuador on the eastern slopes of the Andes at elevations of 3200 to 3300 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with pendulous, constituted by 3 to 4 internodes, the two basal internodes short, the apical ones elongate, the apical internode forming a small fusiform pseudobulb, each new stem produced from a sub-apical internode of the previous stem, completely covered by non-foliar, ovate, acuminate, embracing sheaths and carrying a single, apical, pendulous, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, dorsally carinate, margins revolute leaf that blooms in the late winter and early spring on a terminal, without a spathe, apical, sessile, pendulous simultaneouly 1 to 2 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, ovate-triangular, acute, hidden within the sheath subtending the pseudobulb floral bracts and carrying resupinate, facing downwards, pale brown flowers with the fragrance not registered.

"Epidendrum palalabrum belongs to the GROUP Kalopternix SUBGROUP Garayii which is recognized by pendent chain of stems, arising each from a sub-apical internode of the previous stem, each with 1 to 3 linear-lanceolate leaves, inflorescence apical, flowering only once, 1 to 2 flowered, the flowers non-resupinate, green to red or yellow, the lip cordiform, ecallose. The new species is recognized by the pale brown flowers, sepals .52 to .56" x .148 to .16" [13 to 14 x 3.7 to 4.0 mm], lanceolate, acuminate, 3-veined, petals .468 x .1" [11.7 x 2.5 mm], lanceolate, acuminate and lip shovel-shaped, base truncate, basal half quadrate, apical half triangular, apex acuminate, margin erose. Epidendrum carmelense Hágsater & Dodson has plants .48 to 1.92" [12-48 cm] long, forming large mases, flowers green to ochre with reddish dots on the column, sepals .4 x .26" [10 x 6.5 mm], ovate, acute, petals .34 x .14" [8.5 x 3.5 mm], ovate-elliptic, acute; lip .28 x .44" [7 x 11 mm], reniform, base cordate, apex rounded. It is vegetatively very similar to Epidendrum cardiodontatum Hágsater & Dodson, but the inflorescence has 7 successive flowers, lip subcordiform, base cordate. Epidendrum garayi Lřjtant has 3 to 4 leaves per pseudobulb, flowers greenish purple, sepals .4 to .48" [10 to 12 mm] long, lip cordiform, acuminate. Epidendrum falsigarayi Hágsater & Karremans has 3 to 6 leaved stem segments, leaves 1 to 2" x .12 to .2" [25 to 50 x 3 to 5 mm], 1 brick-red flower, ovate, acimunate sepals .48 to .492" [12 to 12.3 mm] long, triangular ovate, acute petals, .354 x .11" [8.6 x 4.4 mm], and a cordiform, apiculate lip .292 x .354" [7.3 x 9.6 mm]." Hagsater etal 2019

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1720 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1747 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 Drawing fide

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