LCDP Photo by C. Uribe V. & A. Cisnero/Photo by Eric Hágsater and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The False E spathoides Epidendrum
Flower Size .89" [2.25 cm]
Found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru widespread along the Andes from the western slope of the Cordillera Oriental at elevations of 1800 to 3150 meters as a small to medium sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, laterally compressed, straight, covered by foliar sheaths, the basal, non-foliar, scarious sheaths and carrying 4 to 8, alternate, articulate, distributed along apical 2/3 of the stem, coriaceous, base conduplicate; sheaths tubular, laterally compressed, green tinged purple, striated; blade narrowly elliptical to oblanceolate, acute, margin entire, slightly revolute, dark green above, purple beneath leaves that blooms at most any time of the year on a terminal, arising through a single tubular at base and conduplicate at the apex, acute to acuminate spathe, peduncle 3.56" [8.9 cm] long, slightly laterally compressed, totally covered by 2 to 4 bracts, similar to the spathe but smaller and decreasing, partly imbricated, rachis .32 to .56" [8 to 13 cm] long, 2.4 to 12" [6.0 to 30 cm] long, apical, racemose in young plants to producing a new additional raceme in older plants, the second raceme from the base of the rachis, lax successively few, 4 to 22 flowered inflorescence 5.0-15 mm long, shorter than the ovary, ovate-triangular, acuminate, embracing, yellowish brown floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, nob-fragrant, green flowers with sepals with red lines on the dorsal surface, turning reddish brown as the flowers age, lip pale green.
"Epidendrum pseudospathoides belongs to the GROUP Philippii characterized by the sympodial, caespitose habit, the apical, erect, racemose to paniculate inflorescence with a somewhat elongate peduncle covered by several spathe-like bracts, the successive non-resupinate flowers, and the 3-lobed lip formed by 4 semiorbicular lobes, the mid-lobe is itself more or less bilobed at the apex, the outer margins of the lip more or less denticulate. The new species is recognized by stems with 4 to 8 leaves 1.68 to 4.76" x .76 to 1.52" [4.2 to 11.9 x 1.9 to 3.8 cm], dark green above, purple beneath, inflorescence to 12" [30 cm] long , the peduncle totally covered with up to 4 bracts similar to the spathe but decreasing in size, flowers green, sepals with dorsal red lines, sepals .44 to .64" [11 to 14 mm] long, and the lip 3-lobed, the lateral lobes dolabriform and mid-lobe sub-quadrate and emarginate, forming a pair of semi-orbicular lobules, slightly shorter than the lateral lobes. Epidendrum freireanum Hágsater & E.Santiago has stems with 3 to 4 leaves 1.48 to 2.8" x .44 to .8" [3.7 to 7.0 x 1.1 to 2.0 cm], inflorescence 4.4 to 8" [11 to 20 cm] long, sometimes pluri-racemose with a single small spathe, flowers brownish purple, the lip ivory white, sepals .4" [10 mm] long, and a lip 3- lobed, the mid-lobe rectangular and widely mucronate. Epidendrum odontospathum has elliptic leaves with the apex rounded, sepals elliptic with apex rounded, minutely apiculate, petals oblanceolate, rounded with margin crenulate towards the apex, and the lip with 3 low, fleshy ribs, lateral lobes obliquely reniform, mid-lobe semicircular, broadly redounded. Epidendrum lezlieae R.Vásquez & Ibisch has tall plants, to 48" [120 cm], a paniculate, erect inflorescence with greenish white flowers, petals linearoblanceolate .56 x .048 [14 x 1.2 mm], and a lip 3-lobed, base cordate, the posterior margin involute in natural position, calli prominent, laminar, and parallel when upright, divergent when spread. Epidendrum spicatum Hook. the only species of Epidendrum and endemic to the Galapagos, is very similar florally, only the inflorescence is short and compact; from a molecular point of view they are most closely related (Hágsater, unpublished)." Hagsater etal 2020
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 247 Christenson 1995 as E odontospathum not drawing fide; * Icones Orchidacearum 17(2) Plate 1793 Hagsater & Jimenez 2020 TYPE Drawing/Photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1880 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1892 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section
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