Epidendrum prasinum Schltr. 1920 GROUP Ampelospathum
TYPE Drawing by © R Jimenez M and The AMO Herbaria Website
Original Specimen by © JSTOR and their JSTOR Plant Science Website
Common Name The Leek Colored Epidendrum [refers to the flower color]
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Colombia and Ecuador on the eastern slope of the Andes at elevations of 2600 to 3200 meters in cloud forests as a giant sized, cold growing epiphyte or terrestrial on steep embankments with branching stems carrying 4 to 11, unequal, all through the apical half, narrowly lanceolate, acute, mucronate, erose margin, revolute leaves that blooms in the summer through fall on a terminal, pendent, arising through 2, unequal, imbricate, conduplicate, acuminate spathaceous bracts, on mature stems, occuring ony once, unornamented, 2.8 to 5.6" [7 to 14 cm] long, carrying simultaneoulsy 5 to 15 flowered inflorescence with triangular caudate, to three times longer than the ovary floral bracts and carrying resupinate, green-yellow flowers with beige or brownish pink with yellow keels.
"Epidendrum prasinum is part of the GROUP Ampelospathum characterized by the scandent habit, with new stems produced from the middle of the previous stems, roots produced at the base of the main stem, and occasionally from the base of the successive stems, an apical, arching, racemose inflorescence subtended by 1 to 2, large, acute spathaceous bract, and flowers with a 3-lobed lip and 2 small, basal calli. The species is recognized by the sturdy, pendent plants, with subcoriaceous, narrowly lanceolate leaves up to 7.8 x .52" [19.5 x 1.3 cm] and the inflorescence subtended by two large, conduplicate, acuminate spathaceous bracts 2 to 4.4" [5 to 11 cm] long, the lip is 3-lobed, cordate with roundish lateral lobes and a narrow triangular midlobe. From the shape of the flowers and presence of spathaceous bracts, the species would seem related to the GROUP Alpicolum , but the branching vegetative habit is quite distinct for GROUP Ampelospathum and closer to Epidendrum ampelospathum Hágsater & Dodson. The flowers and spathaceous bracts are somewhat reminiscent of E. klotzscheanum Rchb.f. but it has simple, unbranched stems." Hagsater etal 2006
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 7: 144 Schlechter 1920; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 7: 250 Schlechter 1920; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. Figuren-Atlas 57: 195 Schlechter 1929 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 703 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 8 plate 874 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 drawing fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1780 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section;
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