Epidendrum pterogastrium Hágsater 2004 GROUP Capitellum
Photo by © Gary Yong Gee and his Yong Gee Name Website
Photo by Ecuagenera and The Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Jany Renz Herbaria Website
TYPE Drawing by © M Lopez R and The AMO Herbaria Website
LATE
EARLY 
Common Name The Winged Ovary Epidendrum
Flower Size .4” [1 cm]
Found in southern Ecuador and northern Peru on the upper eastern slope of the Andes at elevations of 2600 to 2800 meters as a mini-miniature to miniature sized, cold growing, caespitose epiphyte with simple, cane-like, ancipitous stems carrying 10 to 12, all along the stem, alternate, nonarticulate, decurved towards the apex, light green, lanceolate-ovate, acute, low dorsal keel, margin entire at the base, minutely dentate at the apex leaves that blooms in the late summer and early fall on a terminal, short, peduncle short, laterally compressed, enveloped by 2 to 5 bracts similar to the floral bracts, spirally arranged, ovate, acute, margin entire, amplexicaul bracts, rachis totally enveloped by the floral bracts, capitate, subsessile, occurring only once, simultaneously 5 to 7 flowered inflorescence with slightly longer than the ovary, widely triangular-ovate, acute, basally conduplicate, imbricate, progressively smaller towards the apex floral bracts and carrying greenish white, concolor flowers without a fragrance.
Both the orchid photos above are listed as E capitellatum on the net but that species has laminae-like calli on the lip, E pterogastrium has sleeping policeman-like calli and the column apex is different.
"Epidendrum pterogastrium belongs to the GROUP Capitellum which is characterrzed by the erect, succulent stems with non-artlculate leaves, with a compact, sphaerical head of fleshy greenish flowers, without any spathaceous bract, the lip bicallose. The new specles is recognized by the ancipitous stems, the fleshy, non articulate light green leaves decurved towards the apex, and the inflorescence with greenish white flowers wlth prominent somewhat leaf-like bracts, the lip is cordate-reniform, bicallose, with the margin erose; the habit is immediately recognizable and unlike any other species in the genus. The species is reminiscent of E. capitellatum C. Schweinf. which has a repent, creeping habit, with taller, thinner stems, ancipitous sheaths, and simultaneous white flowers with a 3-lobed lip, the smaller midlobe notched and thus bidentate at the apex, the lateral sepals are prominently keeled, the laminar keels continuing down the ovary. It is somewhat similar to E. schlechterianum which also has a thickened stem with non-articulate leaves, though a much more compact habit, and a similar cordate-reniform lip though ecallose." Hagsater etal 2004
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 784 Hagsater 2004 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 816 Hagsater and Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 980 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1445 Hagsater & Santiago 2013 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1684 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1851 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section
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