Epidendrum sarcostachyum Hágsater, E.Santiago & Becerra 2015 GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum
TYPE Photo by E. Becerra/TYPE Drawing by Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website
EARLY 
Common Name The Fleshy Ear Of Corn Epidendrum [refers to this species very fleshy lip]
Flower Size .8” [2 cm]
Found in northern Peru on the eastern slope in clearings of wet cloud forests at elevations of 2500 to 3000 meters as a large to giant sized, cold growing terrestrial with a primary stem that branches and then branching again, cane-like, terete, erect, straight stems carrying about 13 on the main stem, 5 to 8 on the branches, all along the apical 1/2 of the stem, articulate, alternate, coriaceous, similar in size other than the apical smaller leaf, erect, nearly parallel to the stem, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, obtuse, marigin entire, upper side lustrous, lower side glaucous leaves that blooms in the fall, winter and early spring on a terminal, erect, racemose, occuring only once, peduncle .4 to to .8" [1 to 2 cm] long, terete, thin, erect, straight, rachis .3 to .38" [7.5 to 9.5 mm] long, terete, straight, densely simultaneously 11 to 18 flowered inflorescence with slightly longer than the ovary, triangular-ovate, acute, amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, fleshy, yellow or green flowers with the sepals dorsally tinged purple.
"Epidendrum sarcostachyum belongs to the GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum , which is characterized by the monopodial plants with sub-apical branching, rugose leaf sheaths, large leaves generally spreading, racemose, erect inflorescence, and fleshy flowers generally green to black (ripe olive colored), as well as yellow to pink to purple, with an entire, conduplicate, generally ecallose and pubescent lip embracing the column, and the nectary pubescent to papillose in front of the stigmatic cavity and at least at the base of the lip. The species is recognized by the lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, erect leaves, nearly parallel the stem, those on the main stem 3.6 to 5.2" x.8 to 1.04" [9 to 13 x 2 to 2.6 cm], the upper side lustrous, the lower side glaucous; the inflorescence is relatively short, 3.4 to 4.6" [8.5 to 11.5 cm] long, with simultaneous yellow to green flowers dorsally tinged purple towards the apex of the .4" [10 mm] long sepals, lateral sepals are very fleshy and nearly parallel to the column and obliquely united to it, petals are linear-oblanceolate, spreading. Epidendrum macrostachyum Lindl. has somewhat spreading leaves, those of the main stem 5 to 5.2" x 1.2 to 1.4" [12.5 to 13 x 3 to 3.5 cm], a pyramidal inflorescence extending 6.4 to 12" [16 to 30 cm] long, producing successive flowers ripe olive colored, sepals and petals are spreading and free, the dorsal sepals is reflexed. Epidendrum rostrigerum Rchb.f. has oblong-elliptic, somewhat spreading leaves, those of the main stem are 2 to 3.6"x 1 to 1.2" [5 to 9 x 2.5 to 3 cm], sepals are .4" [10 mm] long, acuminate, anther has a rostrate apex clearly surpassing the apex of the column. Epidendrum dermatanthum Kraenzl. has linear-oblong leaves, 3.4 to 7.2 x .68 to 1.6" [8.5 to 18 x 1.7 to 4 cm], inflorescence is 3.2 to 5.6" [8 to 14 cm] long, with successive reddish brown flowers, sepals [.68 to .72" [17 to 18 mm] long, spreading. Epidendrum chondrochilum F. Lehm. & Kraenzl. has oblong to narrowly elliptic leaves, those of the main stem 4 to 6" x .48 .68" [10 to 15 x 1.2 to 1.7 cm], sepals and petals reflexed, convex, petals lanceolate and oblique with the margin entire, apex of the column with a pair of rounded wings, and the rachis is generally sinuous. Epidendrum coordinatum has very fleshy lateral sepals, with the apex uncinate, petals oblong, apex acute, falcate, column straight with a pair of rounded wings, the lip is very fleshy, deltate-cordiform, base cordate." Hagsater etl 2015
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1514 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section; * Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1558 Hagsater & Santiago 2015 drawing/photo fide;
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