Epidendrum sisnanense Hágsater & E.Santiago 2018 GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Incomptum
TYPE Photo by © Eric Hagsater/TYPE Drawing © by R Jimenez and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Siñan Epidendrum [Path and lake where the type was collected]
Flower Size .2" [5 mm]
Found in central Ecuador in cloud forests on the upper western slope of the Cordillera Oriental de Los Andes, growing on the underside a moss-covered branch of Escallonia myrtilloides L.f., at elevations around 3417 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with cane-like, terete at bases, somewhat laterally compressed towards the apex, each successive stem produced from a sub-apical internode of the previous stem, base covered by tubular, non-foliar, minutely striated sheaths and carrying 4, distributed along the apical 2/3 of each stem, grass-like, distichous, articulate, pendent, green, concolor; tubular, minutely striated, rugose, yellowish green, tinged brown leaf base sheaths; blade narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, margin entire, spreading leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle .52 to .2" [1.3 to 5.0 cm] long, terete, thin, rachis 1.4 to 3.6" [3.5 to 9.0 cm] long, terete, thin, sinuous, green with purple dots, 2.2 to 5" [5.5- 12.5 cm] long, racemose, laxly few-flowered, pendent, simultaneously 5 to 10 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers with the sepals and petals yellowish brown (turning nearly totally brown with age), lip and column yellow; fragrance not registered.
"Epidendrum sisnanense belongs to the GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Incomptum which is characterized by the erect habit with successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, roots generally only from the base of the primordial stem, and apical inflorescence with fleshy, yellow to green to violet-green to black flowers with short ovaries, the lip entire to 3-lobed. The new species is recognized by the pendent plants with short stems, produced from sub-apical internode of the previous stem, grass-like leaves .72 to 2.68 " x .16 to .32" [1.8 to 6.7 x 0.4 to 0.8 cm], pendent, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, inflorescence 2.2 to 5" [5.5 to 12.5 cm] long, laxly few-flowered, with 5 to 10 yellowish brown flowers, the lip and column yellow, petals .44 x .4" [11 x 1 mm], deflexed, linear-oblanceolate, apex rounded, and lip widely cordiform, its margin denticulate, and ovary inflated along the apical 2/3, ventrally. It is reminiscent of a very delicate version of Epidendrum erosum which has sturdy erect plants, leaves 1.4 to 2.48" x .34 to .56" [3.5 to 6.2 x 0.85 to 1.4 cm], sub-coriaceous, elliptic-lanceolate, obtuse to acute, inflorescence 1.8" [4.5 cm] long, up to 12 flowered, but the flowers densely aggregate on the rachis, flowers greenish yellow to green, the lip and apex of the column marked with purple-black, and petals .46 x .1 to .12" [11.5 x 2.5 to 3.0 mm], spreading, cuneate-spatulate, the lip reniform. Epidendrum sarcostalix Rchb.f. also has erect, more vigorous plants, leaves sub-coriaceous, ovate-elliptic, 1.4 to 2.2" x .8 to 1" [3.5 to 5.5 x 2.0 to 2.5 cm], apex rounded, inflorescence 2.4" [6 cm] long, with 12 flowers, sepals .6 to .68" [15 to 17 mm] long, petals oblanceolate-spatulate, .56 x .14" [14 x 3.5 mm] and lip with margin entire." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16[1} Plate 1658 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1867 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 see recognition section
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