Epidendrum punense Hágsater & Dodson 2004 GROUP Mancum SUBGROUP Mancum

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

Common Name The El Pun Epidendrum [the type locality]

Flower Size .6” [1.5 cm]

Found in northernmost Ecuador at elevations around 3200 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, fleshy, thickened, laterally compressed stems nearly totally enveloped by 2 sheaths and carrying 1 apical, oblong-elliptic, bilobed, coriaceous, margin entire leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, with 1 to 2 persistent, almost parallel sided, oblong, acute, ancipitous spathes, racemose, erect, peduncle bractless but completely enveloped by the spathe, rachis laterally compressed, simultaneously 16 to 18 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, flowers with the tepals dark reddish brown and the lip pale yellow with violet dots around the pollina.

"Epidendrum punense belongs to the GROUP Mancum SUBGROUP Mancum which is characterized by the sympodial growth, narrow spathaceous bracts with parallel sides, erect raceme with non-resupinate flowers and a generally reduced, fleshy lip. The new species can be recognized by the solitary leaf 4.4 to 5.2" x .8 to .88" [11 to 13 x 2.0 to 2.2 cm], single, ancipitose spathaceous bract covering the whole peduncle, obovate petals with the margin undulate and laminar, entire, reniform lip with a pair of incisions at the apex. Vegetatively it is similar to Epidendrum parvilabre but this species has 1 to 2 spathaceous bracts, a longer inflorescence, resupinate flowers, oblong to oblanceolate petals with an entire margin and a 3-lobed lip. Epidendrum mancum Lindl., has smaller plants, leaves and flowers, wider leaves and a reduced, entire lip." Hagsater etal 2004

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 785 Hagsater & Dodson 2004 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1680 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16(1) plate 1685 Hagsater etal 2018 in recognition section;

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