Epidendrum rhombobrachyphyllum Hágsater & E.Santiago 2013 GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Rhombochilum

TYPE Drawing © by R Jimenez M and The AMO Herbaria Website

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Common Name The Short Leaved Rhombochilum Group Epidendrum

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in northern Ecuador on the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes at elevations around 3200 to 3700 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with cane-like, terete, thin, the main stem long and abundantly branched throughout, secondary branches branch again to shorter tertiary stems carrying numerous on the main stems, generally not pesistent, 6 to 8 on the branches, distichous, spreading, similar in size and shape, linear-elliptic, sub-coriaceous, dorsal surface rugose, apex rounded, margin crenulate leaves that blooms in the spring, summer and fall on a terminal, without a spathe, arising on any of the stems, racemose, occurring only once, arching, peduncle to .04" [1 mm] long, filiform, papillose, rachis zigzag, .12 to .24" [3 to 6 mm] long, simultaneously 3 flowered inflorescence with nearly as long as the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate, amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers with the tepals green sometimes tinged purple-brown, the lip white to greenish white, column white tinged with purple-brown.

"Epidendrum rhombobrachyphyllum belongs to the GROUP Elleanthoides SUBGROUP Rhombochilum which is characterized by the thin, branching habit, narrow, short, sub-coriaceous leaves with a crenulate margin and unequally bilobed apex, racemose, sub-distichous, short inflorescence, with successive flowers, the entire lip embracing the column. The species is recognized by the relatively tall, caespitose, branching stems to 21.2" [53 cm] tall, the branches numerous and short, leaves on the main stem and branches small, similar in size and shape, .16 to .6 x .4 to .12" [4 to 15 x 1 to 3 mm; inflorescence sub-sessile, .12 to.24" [3 to 6 mm} long; flowers 3, green, somewhat tinged purple, lip white or greenish white, sepals .2 to .24" [5 to 6 mm] long, the lip obdeltoid with the apex very fleshy, disc pubescent with a laminar “V” shaped callus with 2 pollinia. Epidendrum rhombochilum has larger leaves .6 to 1.6" [15 to 40 mm] long, the inflorescence is .6" [15 mm] long, with a .28" [7 mm] long peduncle; 4 flowers, greenish-yellow, turning yellow with age, sepals .28 to .32" [7 to 8 mm] long, the lip rhombic. Epidendrum rhodanthum Hágsater & Dodson has shorter plants to 10.8" [27 cm] tall, leaves .48 to 1.24" [12 to 31 mm long, 4 to 8 flowers, white tinged with pink, the column with pink spots on the apical 2/3, lip transversely elliptic, sepals .36" [8.5 mm] long; with 2 pollinia. Epidendrum chrysanthum Hágsater & Dodson has plants 4 to 12" [10 to 30 cm] tall, scarcely branched, leaves .28 to .98" [7 to 24 mm] long, 2 to 4 flowers, bronze-yellow, the lip is rhombic when spread, with a cuneate base." Hagsater 2013

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 14 Plate 1480 Hagsater & Sanchez 2013 drawing fide;

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