Epidendrum palmidium Hágsater 1999 GROUP Spathiger SUBGROUP Coriifolium

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

NOCTURNAL LATE THROUGH EARLY

Common Name The Small Epidendrum Palmense Epidendrum

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Costa Rica in wet forests at elevations of 1600 to 1800 meters as a small to medium sized, cool growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, erect, laterally compressed near the apex stems and carrying 2 to 4, all along the apical half of the stem, distichous, subcoriaceous, narrowly oblong, unequally bilobed, margin entire, articulate below into the base leaves that blooms in the later spring through early fall on a terminal, simple, racemose, occuring only once, distichous, erect, flexuous, laterally compressed, ancipitose, 3.6 to 7.2" [9 to 18 cm] long, few to several flowered inflorescence arising on a mature growth, with 1 to 5, bracts the same as the longer than the ovary, acuminate, conduplicate, arched inward floral bracts and carrying 4 to 7, simultaneously opening, non-resupinate, secund, nocturnally sweet, grease-like fragrant, green somewhat tinged purple flowers with the column and the keel of the lip green.

"Epidendrum palmidium belongs to the GROUP Spathiger SUBGROUP Coriifolium characterized by the sympodial habit, coriaceous leaves, and the racemose, distichous inflorescence carrying fleshy green to purplish flowers. The is closely related to Epidendrum magnibracteatum and has been confused as a small, poor specimen of the latter, it can be recognized by the relatively narrow and short leaves 1.6 to 4.6" x .48 to .64" [4 to 11.5 x 1.2 to 1.6 cm], acuminate floral bracts which are nearly as long as the flower, the reniform lip which is deeply cordate at the base and emarginate at the apex, the flowers are produced simultaneously and have a sweet, greasy nocturnal fragrance, quite distinct from the strong seminal fragrance of Epidendrum magnibracteatum which has wider leaves, generally 1 to 1.4" [2.5 to 3.5 cm] wide. Epidendrum caluerorum Hágsater from Panama has similar sized leaves, but the lip is truncate at the base and the petals linear, the inflorescence is commonly more elongate and the basal bracts are strongly incurved. Epidendrum coriifolium is endemic to Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala, and has compact plants, with leaves up to 1.4" [3.5 cm] wide." Hagsater etal 1999

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 364 Hagsater & Salazar 1999 drawing fide; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1154 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section;Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 photo fide;

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