Epidendrum salpichlamys Hágsater & E.Santiago 2006 GROUP Polychlamys SUBGROUP Polychlamys

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

LATE EARLY

Common Name The Large Glumaceous Bracted Polychlamys Group Epidendrum

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in Costa Rica on the Atlantic slope at elevations of 1300 to 1700 meters as a to small sized, cool growing epiphyte with an suberect, simple, cane-like, terete stem arising from the basal internode of the previous stem and enveloped by tubular scarious sheaths and carrying 2 to 3 towards the apex, alternate, subcoriaceous, narrowly elliptic, acute, margin entire leaves that blooms in the late spring and early summer on a terminal, sessile, to .8" [2 cm] long, racemose, occuring only once, arching, dense, successively few, to about 5 flowered inflorescence enveloped completely by as long as the ovary, subacute, conduplicate, imbricating, glumaceous, margin entire floral bracts and carrying, trumpet-shaped flowers.

"Epidendrum salpichlamys belongs to the GROUP Polychlamys SUBGROUP Polychlamys which is characterized by the successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregated towards the apex of the stems, the distichous, apical inflorescence with prominent, conduplicate, acute, glumaceous floral bracts. The species is distinguished by the narrow leaves (Iess than .68" [17 mm] wide, simple, sessile, compact, racemose inflorescence, with imbricating floral bracts, the trumpet-shaped, greenish yellow flowers, with the sepals basally connate and abruptly reflexed above the middle, the oblong lip and the thin , non-inflated ovary. It closely resembles Epidendrum cryptanthum confirmed only from intermediate altifudes (600 to 1000 meters) in central Panama, and which has a more robust habit, with thicker stems, wider leaves .68 to .132" [17 to 33 mm] wide, a compact but paniculate inflorescence with 1 to 3 dense, simultaneous racemes (a feature which is not evident from the compact intlorescence especially in pressed specimens) and creamy white flowers hidden by the floral bracts, the sepals free, and the lip obovate. Epidendrum lutheri Hágsater has an elongate inflorescence with widely spaced, spreading floral bracts, the rachis dearly visible and sinuous, larger flowers, the free sepals .52 t o.56 " [13 to 15 mm] long, and the ovary forms a prominent vesicule. Epidendrum bugabense Hágsater also has an elongate inflorescence, with numerous, imbricating bracts that partially cover the peduncle, a straight rachis, larger red flowers, .64 to .78" [16 to 19 mm] long sepals free, the lip ovate-suborbicular, and the ovary forms a prominent vesicule as well." Hagsater 2006

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidaceaum 8 Plate 883 Hagsater & Salazar 2006 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 924 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1740 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1865 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section;

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