Epidendrum pseudocardioepichilum Becerra & Hágsater 2008 GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea

TYPE Drawing by © Becerra and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name The False E Cardioepichilum Epidendrum

Flower Size .32” [8 mm]

Found in Pasco department of Peru at elevations of 2900 to 3000 meters as a small sized, cold growing monopodial epiphyte with cane-like, simple, erect, prolific, perpendicular to subperpendicular to the previous stem carrying 3 to 4, all along the upper half of the stem, alternate, deciduous, subcoriaceous, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, minutely bilobed, margin entire leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, racemose, peduncle short, with a bract similar to the floral bracts, pseudoumbel, subspherical, lax, simultaneously 10 to 12 flowered inflorescence with triangular-lanceolate to lanceolate, papery, shorter than half as long as the ovary floral bracts and carrying resupinate, greenish flowers that with age are tinged with magenta.

"Epidendrum pseudocardioepichilum belongs to the GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea which is characterized by the branching habit, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, bilobed leaves, arching-nutant, racemose inflorescence, membranaceous or rarely fleshy flowers, the lip entire to 3-lobed, with an erose margin, ecallose, with or without 1 to 10 thin, smooth to erose keels, the column united to the lip from totally to obliquely to free. The species is recognized by the short inflorescence with green flowers, becoming tinged with magenta towards the apex of the floral segments, the base of the lip forming a pouch with the column, the free portion of the lip narrow and abruptly expanded and reniform, embracing the apex of the column which has a pair of quadrate wings at the apex. It is similar to Epidendrum cardioepichilum has yellowish-brown flowers with the apex of the lip pink, the floral segments nearly parallel to the column, the apices revolute, the base of the lip forming a large cavity with the column, and the apex widely cordate and embracing the apex of the wingless column. Epidendrum globiflorum F.C. Lehm. & Kraenzl., has oblong-ovate leaves, a very short inflorescence ca. .4" [1 cm] long), greenish-white flowers, the lip united to the column throughout, clearly 3-lobed and with the margin spreading. Epidendrum pseudoglobiflorum Hágsater & Dodson has a dense inflorescence, the flowers trumpet-shaped, the sepals connate, orange to vermillion-red colored, and the lip suborbicular-hexagonal, totally united to the column. Epidendrum trachysepalum Hágsater also has a saccate lip, but the column is free, and the sepals dorsally uncinate." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1108 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008;* Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1166 Hagsater 2008 drawing fide;

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