Epidendrum pugioniforme Regel 1890 GROUP Coilostylis

Photo courtesy of Andy's Orchids Copyright © 2002 All rights reserved.

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Common Name The Dagger-Shaped Epidendrum

Flower Size 2 1/4" [5.6 cm]

A very beautiful, small to medium sized, pendant growing Epidendrum found only in south western Mexico in moist pine-oak forests at elevations of 1800 to 2500 meters as a cold to cool growing epiphyte or occasional lithophyte with a wonderfully odd growth habit, producing a chain of pendant 1" to 6" [2.5 to 15 cm] long, thick, fusiform-shaped pseudobulbs enveloped basally in youth by several, imbricate, scarious sheaths and carrying 3 to 5, dark green 4" [10 cm] long, acute, basally clasping leaves, emerging from the newest matured growths are 2" to 4" [5 to 10 cm] long, arching, racemose inflorescence bearing 5 to 10, very beautiful, 2 1/4" [5.6 cm], simultaneously opening, nocturnally fragrant [soap] flowers, the starry blooms have green to coppery-brown sepals and petals, and a green pointy lip with a prominent red disc. Blooming occurs from the winter until early summer.

Epidendrum pugioniforme is part of GROUP Coilostylis Characterized by the sympodial, caespitose plants, the stems forming a fusiform, pseudobulb, with an apical, racemose, distichous inflorescence, the peduncle covered by large bracts (but not spathaceous bracts), and flowers large, star-shaped, with long, narrow sepals and petals. Many authorities cite this species as a synonym of E parkinsonianum but it is quite different so I leave it as a separate species. I await Eric Hagsater's treament of this species.

Synonyms Coilostylis pugioniformis (Regel) D.P.Banks 2004

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 9 513 - 576 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977 as Auliza pugioniforme; Icones Orchidacearum I Plate 39 Hagsater and Salazar 1990 drawing not = E hagsateri; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1992 photo fide; Miniature orchids McQuuen 1992 photo fide; Manual Of Orchids Stewart 1995; Australian Orchid Review Vol 69 No 4 2004 photo;

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