Epidendrum papallactense Hágsater & Dodson 2001 GROUP Frutex

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The Papallacta Epidendrum [A town near where the type species was collected]

Flower Size 1” [2.5 cm]

Found in central Ecuador on the eastern slope of the Andes at elevations around 3800 meters as a medium to large sized, cold growing, caespitose terrestrial with erect, simple, cane-like, somewhat laterally compressed stems carrying numerous, all along the stems, narrowly lanceolate, acute, margin erose leaves that blooms most likely all year long on a terminal, without a spathe, on a mature stem, racemose to paniculate, producing new racemes from the peduncle nodes or at the base of the upper leaves thus giving the appearance of lateral inflorescence, peduncle ancipitous, arcuate, 2 to 6” [5 to 15 cm] long, arching-pendent, 3.4 to 12.4" [9 to 31 cm] long overall, successively 2 to 3, 13 to 34 flowered inflorescence with as long or shorter than the ovary, spreading, ovate-triangular to acuminate, rugose floral bracts and carrying subdistichous, lip always turned towards the rachis, fleshy flowers with the sepals and petals blue to black, the lip green to black and the column green.

"Epidendrum papallactense is part of GROUP Frutex characterized by the caepitose habit, usually simple stems, lanceolate leaves, inflorescence lacking spathes, nutant racemes, and a widely cordiform to reniform lip. The species is recognized by the simple stems, numerous leaves, elongate peduncle of a racemose to paniculate inflorescence (it starts as racemose or paniculate, and then, as it develops produces new racemes from both the nodes of the peduncle, and sometimes from the base of the upper leaves, thus giving an appearance of lateral inflorescence), distichous inflorescence, the blue to black and green flowers, entire, widely reniform lip, petals narrowly oblong with basal margin erose. It is peculiar in not having any ornamentation on the nectary, where most other similar species are pubescent. Epidendrum indanzense Hágsater & Dodson also has a elongate peduncle, but the flowers are widely open, lip cordiform, nectary pubescent at the throat, petals elliptic, and generally quite different. It seems best placed close to E. frutex which has a similar habit, paniculate inflorescence, though a shorter peduncle, longer leaves and a rhombic lip. Epidendrum harlingii Hágsater & Dodson is very similar and has smaller leaves, a short peduncle, and entire petals; the flowers are brownish violet. Epidendrum aquaticoides C. Schweinfurth has orange-red flowers but is in a different Group, GROUP Aquaticum." Hagsater etal 2001

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 443 Hagsater 2001 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 468 Hagsater 2001 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1670 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1677 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16(2) Plate 1698 Hagsater & Jimenez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1827 2020 see recognition section

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