Epidendrum portotambillense Hagsater & Santiago 2021 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Vernixium

LCDP Photo by E Hagsater & A. Cisneros and Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1887 Hagsater & J Duarte 2021

Common Name The Puerto Tambillo Epidendrum [refers to the the Tambillo mountain pass, or Puerto Tambillo, on the border between the provinces of Azuay and Morona-Santiago.]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Morona Santiago and Azuay provinces of Ecuador atop the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes, ithophytic on road bank, and epiphytic in wet montane forest, at elevations of 2500 to 3390 as a medium sized, cold growing, monopodial epiphyte or lithophyte witha primary stem with the branches shorter, cane-like, terete, thin, erect, straight stem carrying 15, all along the apical half of the primary stem, sub-spreading, alternate, coriaceous, medium gray-green, with tubular, minutely striated, rugose, brown leaf base sheaths, elliptic, apex rounded, unequally bilobed, minutely apiculate, margin entire, slightly revolute leaves that blooms in the spring on an erect, terminal, without a spathe, peduncle, sessile; rachis 2" [5 cm] long, terete, thick, straight, racemose, densely successively but eventually all open at the same time, 10 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, narrowly triangular, embracing, brown floral bracts and carrying secund flowers

"Epidendrum portotambillense belongs to the

GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Vernixium which is characterized by the monopodial habit with sub-apical branching, erect inflorescences, laxly non-resupinate, spreading flowers, and the lip entire to 3-lobed and facing downwards. The new species is recognized by the orange-yellow tepals, the lip orange with a gray-brown overlay, entire, subtrapezoid, vertical in natural position, sepals oblanceolate, apex rounded and aristate, and the column .6" [15 mm] long with a pair of rounded wings. Epidendrum montistoletanum Hágsater & E.Santiago has the leaves sup-parallel to the stem, flowers green tinged blackbrown to totally purple-black, the petals 3-veined, the lip is sub-quadrate and concave in natural position, and the column with short, truncate wings. Epidendrum citrochlorinum Hágsater & Dodson has narrowly elliptic leaves, pale green, concolor flowers, the petals 3- veined, the lip reniform, and the column .36" [9 mm] long with a pair of short truncate wings." Hagsater etal 2021

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1888 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 LCDP Photo/photo fide;

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