Epidendrum rhodovandoides Hágsater 2008 GROUP Takulumena

Photo by © Alejorchid and his Native Colombian Orchid Flickr Website

TYPE Drawing

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

LATER LATER

Common Name The Red Vanda-Like Epidendrum [refers to the inflorescence]

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Antioquia and Cundinamarca departments of Colombia and Tachira state of Venezuela at elevations of 2000 to 2500 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold growing epiphyte with erect, branching, canelike, terete, new stems produced from near the base or a middle internode of the previous stem and carrying 6 to 11, distributed all along the stem, distichous, articulate, dark green with purple tinged margins, succulent-coriaceous, linear-subulate, arching, canaliculate, subacute, margin minutely papillose leaves that blooms in the later summer through later spring on a lateral, occuring over several years, creeping pendent, complicated, produced near the base of the stem, appearing as to be an aborted stem, made of successive segments with various internodes, each internode provided with an ovate bract, occasionally tubular, acute striated, scarious, successively single flowered inflorescence with each flower arising from each segment and carrying, non-resupinate flowers.

" Epidendrum rhodovandoides belongs to the GROUP Takulumena which is recognized by the small, Vanda-like plants, with simple, imbricating, distichous leaves, and several lateral, complicated inflorescences produced from the base of the stem, producing new, single-flowered segments over several years. The species has small plants, with fleshy, arching, semiterete, distichous and imbricate leaves, with a complicated basal inflorescence bearing individual, non-resupinate, cardinal-red to reddish magenta flowers at the apex of each segment, the sepals .16 to .22" [4 to 5.5 mm] long, the column .088" [2.2 mm] long, lhe petals and lip with a short ciliate margin. It is similar and nas been confused with E. sophronitoides F.Lehm. & Kraenzl. which is larger overall, sepals .4 to .64" [10- to 16 mm] long and has brownish green or yellow green, unornamented flowers; which is found in southern Colombia and northern Ecuador. Epidendrum dasyanthum Hágsater syn Takulumena vazquezii Szlach. has larger flowers, with the sepals .36 to .52" [9 to 13 mm] long, the column -16 to .2" [4 to 5 mm] long, with the sepals, petals and lip pilose. The flowers of E. carmelense Hágsater & Dodson, are very similar, though the plants are vegetatively very different, this species has a succession of unifoliate stems with an apical, 1 to 2 flowered inflorescence. Epidendrum psilosepalum Hágsater & E.Santiago has somewhat short plants, reddish yellow-green flowers, the sepals glabrous, petals and lip strongly pillose, with medium-sized flowers, the sepals .28 to .32" [7 to 8 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms Takulumena rhodovandoides (Hágsater) Szlach. & Mytnik 2011

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1116 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1167 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1172 Hagsater 2008 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1180 Hagsater 2008 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #4 2016 photo fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 as E aff rhodovandoides drawing/photo good; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1676 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; AOS Bulletin Vol 89 #11 2020 photo fide;

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