Epidendrum rusbyi Hágsater & L.Sánchez 2009 GROUP Mancum SUBGROUP Mancum

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The Herbario AMO Publications Website

Common Name Rusby's Epidendrum [American botanist, pharmacist and explorer to South America late 1800's though 1940]

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in western Bolivia at elevations around 1500 meters as a small sized, cool growing creeping epiphyte with cane-like, arising from the lower nodes of the previous stem, erect, straight, laterally compressed towards the apex stems carrying 1 to 2, all along the apical third of the stem, articulate, lanceolate-oblong, obtuse, aristate, coriaceous, margine entire leaves that blooms in the fall on an apical, erect, peduncle erect, nearly completely enveloped by 1 to rarely 2, ancipitous, oblong, acute spathaceous bracts, racemose, elongate, laxly, simultaneously 19 to 35 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, flowers without color or fragrance data.

"Epidendrum rusbyi belongs to the GROUP Mancum which is characterized by the sympodial habit, few leaved stems, racemose inflorescence with 1 to 2 ancipitose, long, spathaceous bracts with parallel sides, and SUBGROUP Mancum which has non-resupinate, flowers, and a generally reduced, fleshy lip. The species can be recognized by the laterally compressed stems, 3-lobed lip, with very small ovate-elliptic lateral lobes and a large, ovate-spatulate midlobe with a rounded, erose-dentate apical margin. It is very similar to Epidendrum adenoglossum Lindl. from Peru, which has an entire, linear-oblong lip. Epidendrum brachyglossum Lindl. also has laterally compressed stems, linear-lanceolate leaves 1.2 to 3.36" x .24 to .36" [3.0 to 8.4 x 0.6 to 0.9 cm], somewhat lax-flowered inflorescence, linear, 1 to 3 veined petals, 3-lobed lip, the lateral lobes obliquely sub-quadrate to sub-orbicular, acute, and a short, quadrate midlobe. Epidendrum mancum Lindl., from southern Ecuador has shorter plants, 6 to 10" [15 to 25 cm] tall, smaller leaves, .8 to 2.4" x .52 to 1.08" [2 to 6 x 1.3 to 2.7 cm], wider sepals and petals, .12 to .2" [3 to 5 mm], and an entire lip. Epidendrum rhombimancum Hágsater & L.Sánchez has obovate petals the margin undulate towards the apex, an entire, transversely elliptic lip, with the central keel formed by numerous protuberances. Epidendrum pseudosarcoglottis Hágsater & Dodson has spatulate petals, an entire, rectangular, claw-shaped lip, with a cushion-shaped callus, wide and fleshy. Epidendrum sarcoglottis Schltr. has large flowers, sepals and petals .32 to .36" [8 to 9 mm] long, an entire, triangular, claw-shaped lip." Hagsater etal 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1286 Hagsater & Sanchez 2009 drawing fide;

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