Epidendrum platynocturnum Hágsater & R.Jiménez 2018 GROUP Nocturnum

TYPE Photos by © R. Jiménez & A. Cisneros P and Icones Orchidacearum 16(2) Plate 1693 2018 AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The Wide Nocturnum Epidendrum [refers to the midlobe of the lip]

Flower Size 4.8" [12 cm]

Found in Pastaza province of Ecuador at elevations of 900 meters as a miniature to small sized, warm growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, erect, laterally compressed, straight stems the basally covered by several imbricated, nonfoliar sheaths and carrying 4 to 5, distributed along the apical half of the stem, sub-erect, distichous, laterally compressed, green leaf sheaths, blade narrowly elliptic, acute, length to width ratio: 4:1, sub-coriaceous, dorsally carinate, margin entire, spreading, dark green above, slightly reddish green on the underside leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle and rachis very short, .2" [0.5 cm] long, racemose, turning pluri-racemose with time, as new racemes appear over several years, producing one flower at a time from one or more racemes, successively single, several flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, obtuse, embracing floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers without fragrance data.

"Epidendrum platynocturnum belongs to the GROUP Nocturnum which is characterized by the sympodial, caespitose plants, cane-like stems, short, racemose or pluri-racemose inflorescence, without spathaceous bracts, usually large, star-shaped, successive flowers, with similar sepals and petals. The new species is recognized by the epiphytic habit, stems 2.4 to 4.8" [6 to 12 cm] long, laterally compressed, short leaves 1.2 to 2" x .36 to .48" [3.0 to 5.0 x 0.9 to 1.2 cm], narrowly elliptic, acute, dark green above, reddish green on the underside, ovary .124" [31 mm] long, sepals .6 to .64" [15 to 16 mm] long, lip .36 x .22" [9.0 x 5.5 mm], shallowly elliptic with lobes proportionately wide, mid-lobe .16 to .08" [4 x 2 mm], i.e. 2:1 (length:width). In the same general area there is Epidendrum porphyreonocturnum Hágsater & R.Jiménez which has stems 6.4 to 16" [16 to 40 cm] long, 3 to 8 narrowly elliptic, acute leaves of similar size, 2.6 to 3.2" x .32 to .72" [6.5 to 8.0 x 0.8 to 1.8 cm], dark green above, purple on the underside, ovary .172" [43 mm] long, sepals .72 to .84" [18 to 21 mm] long, lip .48 to .56" x .48 to .56" [12-14 x 12-14 mm], the lateral lobes ovate with 6 thickened, radiating veins, mid-lobe .348 to .36" x .08" [8.7 to 9.0 x 2.0 mm], i.e. 4:1 (length:width). Epidendrum phlebonocturnum Hágsater has short stems .36 to .44" [9 to 11 cm] long, laterally compressed, bright green, 5 to 6 unequal leaves, .6 to 2.8" x .44 to .92" [1.5 to 7.0 x 1.1 to 2.3 cm], ovary about as long as the .174 to .184" [42 to 46 mm] long sepals, deeply 3-lobed lip, with large yellow calli, and the lateral lobes with prominently raised veins radiating from the base and sub-parallel, the mid-lobe .92 x .1" [23 x 2.5 mm], i.e. 10:1 (length:width). Epidendrum minus (Cogn.) Hágsater has longer stems 4 to 8" [10 to 20 cm] long leaves." Hagsater etal 2018

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 16(2) Plate 1693 Hagsater & Jimenez 2018 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16(2) Plate 1697 Hagsater & Jimenez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1762 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 see recognition section;

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