Epidendrum quadratilobum Hagsater, E Santiago & Edquen 2020 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Vernixium

LCDP Photo by © J. D. Edquén & A. Cisneros and Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1834 2020

Common Name The Four Lobed Epidendrum [refers to the 4 lobes of the lip]

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in Amazonas department of Peru on the eastern slope of the Andes in High Andean Grasslands (Jalca), on a rocky slope of sandstone at elevations of 3700 to 3785 meters as a large sized, cold growing lithophyte or terrestrial with primary stem 26.4" [66 cm] long , secondary stems 2.2 to 10.4" [5.5-26 cm] long, producing new branches from the middle of the primary stems, cane-like, terete, thin, erect, straight or curving upwards stems with the base covered by non-foliar, tubular sheaths and carrying many on the main stem, to 8 on the branches, all along the apical half, spreading, alternate, coriaceous, recurved, green, concolor, with tubular, verrucose, brownish green basal sheaths, blade elliptic, apex rounded, margin entire leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle sessile, rachis 2 to 2.6" [5.0 to 6.5 cm] long, terete, straight, erect, racemose, sub-dense, the flowers distributed in a helicoid, successively several, 14 to 17 flowered inflorescence with , narrowly triangular, acuminate, embracing, shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, sub-secund flowers.

"Epidendrum quadratilobum belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Vernixium , which is characterized by the monopodial sub-apical branching habit, erect inflorescences, lax, non-resupinate flowers, and the lip entire to 3-lobed. The new species is recognized by the ochre-yellow, concolor, sub-secund flowers, lip and column ascendant, at an angle of 45° to the vertical axis of the inflorescence, lip facing downwards; the margin of the tepals strongly revolute, lateral sepals .88" [22 mm] long, lip 3-lobed, the lateral lobes very small, .12' x .12" [3 x 3 mm], obliquely sub-quadrate and the mid-lobe quadrate, apex truncate. Epidendrum panduratum Hágsater & Dodson has green-pink, secund flowers, only the petals have revolute margins, lateral sepals .6 to .64" [15 to 16 mm] long, and the lip vertical, pandurate, the apex of the mid-lobe emarginate and mucronate. Epidendrum adamsii Hágsater & Dodson has green flowers, lateral sepals .6" [15 mm] long, and the lip clearly 3-lobed with the lateral lobes .252 x .16" [6.3 x 4 mm], as long as the mid-lobe which is widely mucronate. Epidendrum montistoletanum Hágsater & E.Santiago has flowers green tinged purple-black to totally purple-black, except for the column which is green at the base, non-resupinate, with the lip vertical, the flowers often secund, lateral sepals .48 to .8" [12 to 20 mm] long, and the lip sub-quadrate, corners rounded." Hagsater & Cisneros 2020

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1834 Hagsater & Santiago 2020 LCDP/photos fide;

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