Epidendrum pitalense J.Linares & Hágsater 2008 GROUP Bracteosum SUBGROUP Pallens

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

EARLY

Common Name The Cerro El Pital Epidendrum [A mountain where the type was collected]

Flower Size .8” [2 cm]

Found in El Salvador and Honduras on the Cerro El Pital in cloud forests at elevations of 2600 to 2700 meters as a miniature to small sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, 3 to 4 internoded, laterally compressed, ancipitous, basally thin, slightly thickened towards the apical half, ascending stem carrying 1 or rarely 2, aggregate towards the apex, articulate, ascending, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, acute, coriaceous, low dorsal keel, margin entire, slightly deflexed leaves that blooms in the spring on a terminal, occuring only once, racemose, peduncle thin, laterally compressed, ancipitous, straight, nearly as long as the apical leaf, partly enveloped by 4 tubular, acute bracts, rachis subterete, thin, straight, arching-nodding, simultaneously 1 to 4 flowered inflorescence with prominent, much longer than the ovary, obliquely tubular, acute, conduplicate, imbricating, green turning brown as the flowers mature floral bracts and carrying alternate, resupinate, apparently cleistogamus, non-fragrant, purple brown flowers with the dorsal surface of the floral segments somewhat greenish, the column green and the clinandrium margin hood whitish.

" Epidendrum pitalense belongs to the GROUP Bracteosum which is characterized by the sympodial, caespitose habit with laterally compressed, ancipitose, few-leaved stems covered by tubular, scarious sheaths, a racemose to paniculate, 3 to 11 flowered, arching inflorescence with prominent, acute floral bracts, the floral segments partly spreading, lip entire, generally auriculate at the base, the disc tricarinate and 4-cuniculate on each side of the call), and with fleshy-laminar thickenings beneath the calli; SUBGROUP Pallens which has 1 to 2 leaved stems, the leaves aggregate at the apex of the stem, inflorescence racemose, generally longer than the apical leaf, with the peduncle covered by 1 to 4 tubular, scarious, fibrous bracts, the floral bracts tubular, nearly parallel to the rachis. The species is recognized by the purple-brown flowers with a green column, sepals ovate-elliptic, subacute, .56 to .68" [14-17 mm] long, the lip pandurate-ovate, rounded, slightly longer than wide, with 6 laminar, very short thickenings below the calli . It is similar to Epidendrum pallens Rchbl. which has pale olive-brown to lilac-pink flowers, oblong-lanceolate, acute sepals .72 to .96" [18 to 24 mm] long, the lip triangular ovate, acute, twice as long as wide, with a pair of laminar thickenings hidden by the calli. Epidendrum paucifolium Schltr. has fucshia-magenta flowers, oblong-elliptic, rounded sepals .56 to .64" [14 to 16 mm] long, and the lip subquadrate-ovate, the apex truncate, nearly as long as it is wide. Epidendrum bracteosum Ames & c. Schweinf. has green flowers tinged copper, 3 to 4 leaved stems the inflorescence short, cymbiform floral bracts, sepals elliptic- lanceolate, .36 to .48" [9 to 12 mm] long, petals spatulate-oblanceolate." Hagsater 2008

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1106 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1153 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1155 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section;* Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1161 Linares & Hagsater 2008 drawing fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018

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