Epidendrum saccirhodochilum Hágsater & E.Santiago 2009 GROUP Megalospathum

Original Drawing by © Jimenez and The Herbario AMO Publications Website

Common Name The E rhodochilum With A Sack Epidendrum [refers to the sac-like base of the lip which distinguishes this species from E rhodochilum]

Flower Size 1.4" [3.5 cm]

Found in northern Ecuador near Mojanda at elevations around 2400 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, arising from the base of the previous stem, basally terete and laterally compressed towards the apex, thin, straight, somewhat sinuous stem carrying 8 to 11, all along the stem, articulate, sub coriaceous, descending-spreading, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, oblique, obtuse, margin entire leaves that blooms in the winter on a terminal, subsessile, arising through a widely elliptic, sub-obtuse, conduplicate spathaceous bract, racemose, straight, lax, simultaneously 4 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acute, amplexicaul floral bract and carrying resupinate flowers with the tepals greenish yellow and the lip reddish brown.

"Epidendrum saccirhodochilum belongs to the GROUP Megalospathum , characterized by the caespitose but branching habit, many-leaved stem, fleshy, oblique leaves, a short, few flowered, raceme subtended by large semi-ovate spathaceous bracts, resupinate flowers, the column obliquely united to the lip, occasionally free. The species is recognized by the pendent habit, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, oblique leaves, peduncle of the inflorescence part hidden by the subtending spathaceous bract, with 4, simultaneous, sepals and petals narrowly triangular, .6 to .8" [15 to 15.5 mm] long; the lip free from the column, narrowly obovate, the margin sub-entire, .18 x .38" [15.5 x 9.5 mm]. Epidendrum rhodochilum (Schltr.) Hágsater has a single-flowered inflorescence, sepals and petals are oblong-lanceolate, .68" [17 mm] long; the margin of the obovate lip is ciliate-denticulate. Epidendrum megalospathum = Epidendrum falsum Rchb.f. has a longer inflorescence, 1.6" [4 cm] long, with 7 large flowers, sepals oblong-elliptic, .64 to .68" [16 to 17 mm] long, the free lip is sub-orbicular-obovate, with the margin denticulate and the base cuneate, and not sack-like." Hagsater 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1287 Hagsater & Sanchez 2009 drawing fide;

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