Epidendrum × spathiporphyreum Hágsater & Dodson 2009 GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Paniculatum

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Partial shade LATE Spring EARLIER Fall

Common Name The Spathi-Porphyreum Epidendrum [refers to the putative parents of the hybrid]

Flower Size 1.46" [3.6 cm]

Found in Ecuador on the western slopes of the Andes without elevational data as a naturally occuring hybrid between E spathatum and E porphyreum and is a giant sized epiphyte with cane-like, simple, basal half terete, slightly laterally compressed above, straight stem and carrying 22 to 24, all along the apical 2/3's of the stem, sub-coriaceous, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, acute, dosally carinate leaves that blooms in the late spring through earlier fall on a terminal, paniculate, sub-erect, peduncle laterally compressed, enveloped completely by 8, tubular, acuminate, scarious, papery, progressively smaller bracts, lax, panicualte, each branch subteneded by a triangular-lanceolate, amplexicaul, long-acuminate, papery green bract, each branch few flowered, successively few, to 50 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acuminate, progressively shorter floral bracts and carrying resupinate, somewhat fleshy, non-fragrant flowers with sepals that are dorsally reddish and somewhat yellowish ventrally, the petals reddish white, the lip ivory white becoming reddish orange with age and a white column that is slightly reddish pink.

"Epidendrum x spathiporphyreum belongs to GROUP Pseudepidendrum SUBGROUP Paniculatum which is characterized by the caespitose habit, unbranched stems, apical, branched inflorescence, no true spathe, and the flowers with a long, thin column, a 3-lobed lip with the midlobe generally bifid and divaricate, and filiform petals. The hybrid is recognized by the red flowers, the column and lip reddish pink, sepals dorsally verrucose, the lateral lobes of the lip dolabriform, the midlobe bifid, the lobes divaricate, acute, and the calli prominent, horn-like, calli and disc white turning yellow with age. Epidendrum spathatum has orange flowers with a yellow-orange lip, the segments cucullate, the calli are long, and acute, the disc of the lip with 3 pad-like keels reaching the apex of the lip, the column ends in a pair of prominent rounded wings. There is a close resemblance to E. porphyreum but that species has larger flowers that are purple with a white splash in the lip, and the calli are much shorter." Hagsater etal 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1293 Hagsater & Dodson 2009 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1385 Hagsater & Santiago 2010 See recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1388 Hagsater & Santiago 2010 See recognition section;

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