Epidendrum psilosepalum Hágsater & E.Santiago 2008 GROUP Takulumena

TYPE Drawing by © R Jimenez M and The AMO Herbaria Website

MID

Common Name The Glabrous Sepals Epidendrum

Flower Size .4” [1 cm]

Found in southern Colombia and northern Ecuador on the western Andes at elevations of 2000 to 2700 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, erect, laterally compressed, occasionally producing another stem at the base of the previous, but above the inflorescence stems carrying 6 to 8, all along the stem, distichous, basally imbricating, articulate, linear, obtuse, minutely apiculate, rugose, conduplicate, arching, coriaceous, dark green, margin entire leaves that blooms in the winter and spring on a lateral, arising near the base of the stem, creeping, pendent, occuring over several years, completely enveloped by bracts made up of successive segments, branching, each segment of various internodes, each node with an ovate bract, occasionally tubular at the base, acute to acuminate, striated, scarious, the new segment arising from the upper part of the last internodes, successively single, from each segment, few flowered inflorescence with longer than the ovary, tubular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, reddish yellow green flowers.

" Epidendrum psilosepalum belongs to the GROUP Takulumena which is recognized by the small, Vanda-like plants, with simple, imbricating, distichous leaves, and a lateral complicated inflorescence, producing new, single-flowered segments over several years. The species is recognized by the intermediate size of the reddish yellow-green flower, sepals .28 to .32" [7 to 8 mm] long, with the sepals glabrous, and the ventral surface of the petals and lip strongly pubescent. It has been confused with E. sophronitoides F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. which has larger flowers, the floral segments glabrous and acuminate, .4 to .64" [10 to 16 mm] long. Epidendrum dasyanthum Hágsater has the ventral surface of all the segments strongly pubescent, and is widespread down to northern Peru, along the eastern ridge of the Andes. Epidendrum rhodovandoides Hágsater has small, cardinal red to reddish magenta flowers, the floral segments generally glabrous, sepals .16 to .2" [4 to 5 mm] long, and is known only from northern Antioquia department of Colombia and western Venezuela in Táchira state." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms Takulumena psilosepalum (Hágsater & E. Santiago A.) Szlach. & Mytnik 2011

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1116 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1167 Hagsater & Santiago 2008 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1172 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section;Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1180 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1676 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section;

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