Epidendrum solomonii Hágsater & L.Sánchez 2004 GROUP Difforme

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name Solomon's Epidendrum [American director of Missouri Botanical Garden and collector of the type species]

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

Found in western Bolivia near the Peruvian border in moist forests at elevations of 500 to 1200 meters as a miniature to small sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, ancipitous, slightly flexuous stems carrying 2 to 5, all along the stem, unequal in size, smaller below, coriaceous, elliptic, retuse leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, without a spathe, on a mature stem, occuring only once, sub-sessile, peduncle very short, simultaneously 2 to 4 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying resupinate, pale green flowers.

"Epidendrum solomonii belongs to the GROUP Difforme which is characterized by the caespitose, sympodial plants, fleshy, pale green to glaucous leaves, apical inflorescence, sessile, rarely with a short peduncle, one-flowered to corymbose, without spathaceous bracts, f1eshy, green to yellowish-green rarely white flowers. The new species is recognized by its tall plants, elliptic, rounded sepals, wide, spathulate, rounded, 5-veined petals, the lip without prominent thickened veins, lateral lobes oblong, entire and the bilobed midlobe. It is very similar to Epidendrum bennettii which has pale green flowers, oblong, truncate, mucronate sepals, acuminate, 3-veined petals, a 3-lobed lip with prominent thickened veins, the lateral lobes ovate, sinuate, and the midlobe truncate. Epidendrum apaganum Mansf. has smaller plants and flowers, acute sepals and petals, 5-veined sepals, 3-veined petals, and the midlobe of the lip triangular, emarginate with prominent thickened veins. Epidendrum althausenii A. D. Hawkes widespread in the Amazon basin has shorter plants, 1 to rarely 2 flowers, linear, 3-veined petals, and a 3-lobed lip, subquadrate when spread, without prominent thickened veins." Hagsater etal 2004

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 788 Hagsater & Sanchez 2004 drawing fide

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