Epidendrum popayanense F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. 1899 GROUP Alpicolum

Collection by Lehmann © Courtesy of Kew The Kew Science Website

Common Name The Popoyan Epidendrum [A town in southern Colombia]

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in Cauca department of Colombia at elevations of 2800 to 3200 meters as a cold growing epiphyte

"Epidendrum popayanense F. Lehm. & Kraenzl. belongs to the GROUP Alpicolum Characterized by the simple, cane-like stems, narrowly elliptic acute leaves, long, narrow, 1 to 2 spathaceous bracts giving rise to a foxtail-like inflorescence with small flowers with a lip that is fleshy, prominently midveined when dry, a triangular midlobe and large orbicular lateral lobes that are larger in surface area than the midlobe, also with a prominent, emarginate, entire clinandrum. The species is recognized by the two leaves 48 x 32" x .6 to 1" [120 x 80 x 15 to 25 mm], sepals .44" [11 mm] long, lateral lobes large, flowers olivaceous green with lip pale dirty yellow. Epidendrum oblongialpicolum has a caespitose habit, very wide, ancipitose stem, wide, oblong leaves with a rounded to bilobed apex, and the compact, racemose inflorescence with a short peduncle, sepals .32 to .4" [8 to 10 mm] long, the petals oblanceolate, .032" [.8 mm] wide and single veined, the lateral lobes irregularly lobed and the midlobe lanceolate, about 3 times longer than wide. Epidendrum alpicolum has larger flowers, sepals ca. .72" [18 mm] long, leaves long, lanceolate, and midlobe of lip lanceolate-rhomboid." Adapted from E oblongialpicolum Icones plate 465 Hagsater etal 2010

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 465 Hagsater & Dodson 2001 See recognition section;

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