Epidendrum pulchrum (Schltr.) Hágsater & Dodson 1992 GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea

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

Common Name The Beautiful Epidendrum

Flower Size .8” [2 cm]

Found in central Ecuador on the western slope of the Andes at elevations above 3000 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing epiphyte or terrestrial with branching, newly arising from the apical internodes of the previous stems, cane-like, terete, straight stems carrying 7 to 10, all along the main stem, on the branches all along the apical half, erect, alternate, basal leaves deciduous, subcoriaceous, narrowly lanceolate, bilobed, low dorsal keel, margin entire leaves that blooms in the spring on a terminal, without a spathe, racemose, arching, occuring only once, peduncle short, terete, thin, with a single basal bract similar to the floral bracts, rachis terete, thin, slightly flexuous, simultaneously 10 to 14 flowered inflorescence with half as long as the ovary, linear-triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying resupinate, reddish brown flowers.

"Epidendrum pulchrum belongs to the GROUP Diothonea SUBGROUP Diothonea wh ch is characterized by the branching plants, linear-lanceolate to oblong, bilobed leaves, racemose, arching-nutant inflorescence, membranaceous, rarely fleshy flowers, the entire to 3-lobed, ecallose lip with the margin erose with or without 1 to 10 thin, smooth to erose keels the column completely to obliguely united to the lip, the anther reniform. The species is recognized by the 2 to 2.8" [5 to 7 cm] long inflorescence, the suborbicular lip which is undivided at the apex, scarcely ornamented with minute papillae and 5 thin, short, rugose keels, and the column obliquely united to the lip, with a prominent, straight column foot and the column wings not involute. Epidendrum lloense (Lindl.) Hágsater & Dodson has the inflorescence 2 to 4.8" [5 to 12 cm] long, the lip subreniform wlth the apex 4-lobed, 5 smooth or rarely serrulate keels that form a convex structure at the base of the lip and the column with a very prominent involute column-foot forming a prominent sac. Epidendrum gratissimum (Rchb f ) Hágsater & Dodson (syn E oyacachiense Hágsater & E. pentacarinatum Hágsater & Dodson) has a subreniform lip with a 4-lobed apex, unornamented with 3 to 5 laminar, erose keels, the column ventrally provided with a pair of involute wings. Epiendrum neoviridiflorum Hágsater has a widely ovate-orbicular lip with the base unguiculate and the apex 4-lobed, unornamented and the column with a pair of involute wings. Epidendrum orthopterum Hágsater & E,Santiago has a short inflorescence, .8" [2 cm] long, and a 3-lobed lip with 7 erose keels." Hagsater etal 2006

Synonyms *Diothonea pulchra Schltr. 1916

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Orquídea (Mexico City), n.s., 12: 296 Hagsater & Dodson 1992; Orquideologia Vol 24 #1 2005; Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 879 Hagsater & Dodson 2006 drawing fide fide

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