Epidendrum quispei Hágsater & Collantes 2006 GROUP Quispei Type of the group

Photo © The Ita Inkaterra Website

TYPE Drawing TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

Common Name Quispe's Epidendrum [Peruvian Orchid Enthusiast and Gardner at Macchu Picchu Hotel Inkaterra later 1900's early 2000's]

Flower Size 1/2" [1.25 cm]

Found in Peru in cloud forests at elevations around 2700 to 3000 meters as a small to medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, produced from the subapical internodes of the previous stem, cane-like, terete, thin, straight to somewhat flexuous stem carrying 4 to 9, all along the stem, deciduous with time, spreading, alternate, ovate-lanceolate, subacute, with a minute apicule, a low dorsal keel, margin entire leaves that blooms in the spring on a terminal, racemose, pendent, occuring only once, short, fractiflex, mostly simultaneously opening, 5 to 10 flowered inflorescence enveloped completely by 2 prominent, basally tubular, conduplicate above, acute bracts and with nearly as long as the ovary, gradually shorter, linear, acuminate floral bracts and carrying resupinate, non fragrant flowers.

"Epidendrum quispei belongs to the monotypic GROUP Quispei which is characterized by the monopodial, branching habit, the new stems produced from a subapical internode of the previous stem, the lack of spathaceous bracts, wlth 1-2 bracts on the peduncle, racemose inflorescence, the flowers star-shaped, the petals somewhat narrower than the sepals, the lip deeply cordlform and acute. The species is recognized by the pendent plants, racemose inflorescence with 5 to 10 flowers, .32" [8 mm] long sepals, deeply cordiform lip wlthout calli, and the petals as wide as the sepals. Most other pendent Epidendrum species of this size have a spathaceous bract, and we have not found any species similar to this one. The plant habit is reminiscent of the Nanun Group, monopodial with the new stem produced from a subapical internode of the previous stem; however, the inflorescence is long and many-flowered, and the flowers are typically Epidendrum-like but somehow unique, with the deeply cordate, acute, ecallose lip." Hagsater etal 2006

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 8 Plate 881 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 drawing fide;

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