Epidendrum retrosepalum Hágsater, Ric.Fernández & E.Santiago 2009 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae
Photo by © Saul Altamirano A. and The Parque Nacional Carrasco, Cochabamba Bolivia, Orquideas del Proyecto Hidroelectrico Ivirizu Website
Photo by © Ivan Jimenez, Jorge Quezada & Juan Carlos Bermejo and the Orquideas de Cotapata Website
TYPE Drawing by R Jimenez M and The AMO Herbaria Website
Common Name The Backbent Sepal Epidendrum
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in southern Peru and Bolivia on the upper Amazon Slopes of the Andes at elevations around 2630 to 3250 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with cane-like, terete, thin, much branched above the middle, branches much shorter, some stems so short as to appear to be lateral inflorecence carrying deciduous on the main stem, about 6 on the branches, all along the stem, alternate, articulate, subcoriaceous, ovate-lanceolate, acute, minutely apiculate, margin entire leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, without a spathe, racemose, ocurring only once, peduncle terete, thin, bractless, lax, simultaneously 3 to 4 flowered inflorescence with triangular-lanceolate, short-acuminate, shorter than the ovary, amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers without color and fragrance data.
"Epidendrum retrosepalum belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae which is characterized by the branching habit starting on a monopodial, primary stem, infundibuliform, rugose leaf-sheaths, lanceolate, aristate, acute leaves, racemose, sub-capitate inflorescence on a short, thin peduncle, and the bicallose lip. The species is recognized by the ovate-lanceolate, acute leaves .52 to .8" x .24 to .32" [1.3 to 2 x 0.6 to 0.8 cm], inflated ovary, strongly reflexed, .28" [7 mm] long, lateral sepals, linear-filiform petals and the orbicular lip with the apical half of the margin crenulate. Epidendrum soratae has lanceolate leaves .68 to 1.88" x .16 to .24" [1.7 to 4.7 x 0.4 to 0.6 cm]; partly spreading lateral sepals, linear petals and a reniform lip with the apex slightly 3-lobed. Epidendrum obliquum Schltr. has lanceolate leaves and the ovary is not inflated, the lip reniform, apically emarginate. Epidendrum moscozoi Hágsater & E.Santiago, has smaller plants, linear-lanceolate, obtuse leaves .32 to .68" x .08 to .16" [0.8 to 1.7 x 0.2 to 0.4 cm]; partly spreading sepals .148" to .16" [3.7 to 4 mm] long, and the lip reniform with the margin crenate." Hagsater etal 2009
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1226 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1285 Hagsater, Fernandez & Santiago 2009 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1465 Hagsater & Sanchez 2013 see recognition section; The Parque Nacional Carrasco, Cochabamba Bolivia, Orquideas del Proyecto Hidroelectrico Ivirizu Website 2021 photo fide;
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