Epidendrum puracestachyum Hágsater & E.Santiago 2015GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum
TYPE Photo by Rodrigo Escobar/TYPE Drawing by © R Jimenez M and The AMO Herbaria Website
EARLY
Common Name The Purace Ear Of Corn Epidendrum [refers to this species being found on the Volcan de Purace and similar to E macrostachyum]
Flower Size .8” [2 cm]
Found in Cauca department of Colombia on the southern end of the Cordillera Central in Paramo in tall Andean forests at elevations of 2800 to 3200 meters as a large sized, cold growing terresrial with branching when mature, cane-like, terete, erect, straight stems carrying numerous on the main stem, 6 to 10 on the branches, all along the stem, articulate, alternate, suberect, unequal in size, basally shorter, lanceolate, acute, margin entire leaves that blooms in the summer, fall and early winter on a terminal, without a spathe, racemose, erect, occurring only once, peduncle .4” [1 cm] long, terete, erect, straight, without bracts, rachis 5.6 to 6.4” [14 to 16 cm] long, successively few, 18 flowered inflorescence with prominent, slightly longer than the ovary, gradually diminishing in size above, narrowly lanceolate-triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, fleshy, perianth wine-red flowers.
"Epidendrum puracestachyum belongs to the GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum, which is characterized by the monopodial plants with sub-apical branching, rugose leaf sheaths, large leaves generally spreading, racemose, erect inflorescence, and fleshy flowers generally green to black (ripe olive colored), as well as yellow to pink to purple, with an entire, conduplicate, generally ecallose lip embracing the column, and the nectary pubescent to papillose in front of the stigmatic cavity and at least at the base of the lip. The species is recognized by the lanceolate leaves 2.12 to 3.2" x .36 to 1" [5.3 to 8 x 0.9 to 2.5 cm], short inflorescence with wine-red colored flowers, oblong-elliptic, acute sepals .44 to .48" [11 to 12 mm] long, reflexed, oblong-triangular, sub-acute petals .38 x .68" [9.5 x 1.7 mm], and the deltate lip with the corners rounded and the apex obtuse. Epidendrum oxycalyx has elliptic-lanceolate leaves 2 to 6.8" x.48 to 1.8" [5 to 17 x 1.2 to 4.5 cm], inflorescence with reddish brown to greenish brown flowers, sepals acuminate, .6 to .52" [15 to 23 mm] long, petals linear-lanceolate, acuminate, .44 to .66 x .4 to .48" [11 to 16 x 1.0 to 1.2 mm], and the lip narrowly cordiform. Epidendrum recurvitepalostachyum Hágsater & E.Santiago, has oblong, obtuse leaves .8 to 4" x .28 to .6" [2 to 10 x 0.7 to 1.5 cm], a short, dense inflorescence, with a sinuous rachis, flowers yellow, slightly tinged with reddish, sepals elliptic, obtuse, .32 to .46" [8 to 11.5 mm] long, petals oblong-elliptic, obtuse, .4 to .44" x .1 to .14" [10 to 11 x 2.5 to 3.5 mm]. Epidendrum stenobractistachyum Hágsater & E.Santiago is vegetatively very similar, but the flowers are greenish yellow, sepals narrowly elliptic, .56 to .6" [14 to 15 mm] long, petals slightly recurved, oblong and falcate, .52 x 1.12" [13 x 2.8 mm], lip deltate. Epidendrum porphyrostachyum Hágsater et E.Santiago has narowly elliptic, purple colored leaves, 5.2 to 5.8" x .92 to 1.24" [13 to 14.5 x 2.3 to 3.1 cm], the inflorescence is elongate and sub-lax-flowered, 9.6" [24 cm] long, flowers are deep purple, lateral sepals narrowly ovate, .6" [15 mm] long, petals linear, short-acuminate, .52 x .8" [14 x 2 mm], and the lip deltate-cordiform." Hagsater etal 2015
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1552 Hagsater & Santiago 2015 drawing/photo fide; ; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo fide;
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