Epidendrum pomecense Hágsater 1999 GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Incomptum

TYPE Drawing by © R Jimenez M and The AMO Herbaria Website

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Rio Pomeca Epidendrum [A river in Boyaca Colombia]

Flower Size .8” [2 cm]

Found in Boyaca Department of Colombia on the Cordillera Oriental at elevations around 2400 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with thin, terete, new stem arising from the 5th to 7th internode near the apex of the previous stem carrying 3 to 4, aggregate towards the apex of the stem, lanceolate, acute, thin leaves that blooms in the late winter and early spring on a terminal, without a spathe, racemose, nutant, on a mature stem, occuring only once, .2” to .4” [5 to 10 mm] long, successively single, 2 to 3 flowered inflorescence carrying resupinate, non-fragrant, green flowers with the apex of the column reddish purple.

"Epidendrum pomecense belongs to the GROUP Arbuscula which is characterized by the erect habit with successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, roots generally only from the base of the primordial stem, and the SUBGROUP Incomptum which has a short apical inflorescence with fleshy yellowish to green to violet-green to black flowers with short ovaries, the lip entire to 3- lobed. The species is recognized by its thin, delicate stems borne singly from near the top of the previous one, the nodding, 2 to 3 flowered raceme, flowers pale green, the apex of the column reddish, the ovary thin, petals narrowly oblanceolate, 1-veined, the lateral lobes suborbicular and the trapezoidal midlobe deeply emarginate, mucronate. Epidendrum karstenii has still smaller flowers, the sepals .24" [6 mm] long, and a cylindrical inflorescence with numerous simultaneous flowers." Hagsater etal 1999

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 303 Hagsater 1999 see recogntion section; * Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 374 Hágsater 1999 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 768 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017;

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