Epidendrum stahlii Hagsater & E Santiago 2020 GROUP Megalospathum SUBGROUP Tigriphyllum

TYPE Drawing by © R Jimenez M and Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1839 2020

LATE EARLY

Common Name Stahl's Epidendrum [Swedish, Co-editor of the Flora of Ecuador Project, collected in Ecuador 1980's current]

Flower Size 1.4" [3.5 cm]

Found in northern Ecuador on the eastern slope of the Andes in wet montane forests on shrubs at elevations of 2500 to 2700 meters as a mini-miniature sized, cold, pendent growing epiphyte with simple, canelike, terete, thin stems carrying 7 to 10 all along the stem, alternate, sprfeading, perpendicular to the stem, articulate, subcoriaceous, lanceolate, acuminate, margin entire leaves that blooms in the late summer and early fall on a terminal, arising through a conduplicate, orbicular, obtuse, apical margin minutely denticulate spathe, peduncle .2" [5 mm] thin, terete, totally hidden within the spathe, rachis 1 to 1.4" [2.5 to 3.5 cm] long, simultaneosuly 2 flowered inflorescence with narrowly triangular, obtuse, embracing, much shorter than the ovary floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers.

"Epidendrum stahlii belongs to GROUP Megalospathum characterized by the caespitose but branching habit, manyleaved stem, fleshy, oblique leaves, a short, few flowered, raceme subtended by large semi-ovate spathes, resupinate flowers, and the column more or less united to the lip, and the SUBGROUP Tigriphyllum which is characterized by the plants generally pendent and the leaves ovate to lanceolate, with purple-reddish transversal lines. The new species is recognized by the lanceolate, acuminate leaves .6 to 1" x .12 to .2" [1.5 to 2.5 x .3 to .5 cm], flowers yellowish white, sepals .8 to .84" [20 to 21 mm] long, elliptic, not apiculate, and the lip .64 x .692 to .7" [16 x 17.3 to 17.5 mm], orbicular-cordiform with a pair of very small globose calli. Epidendrum miradoranum, has pale green leaves with transverse pink-purple bands, .4 to 1.6" x .12 to .36" [1.0 to 4.0 x .3 to .9 cm], up to 4 pale green flowers tinged pink, sepals .72" [18 mm] long, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, minutely apiculate, and the lip .68 x .56" [17 x 14 mm], cordiform with prominent calli. Epidendrum calacaliënse Hágsater & Dodson is vegetatively similar but has an acute spathe, the flowers concolor yellow, sepals .4 to .52" [10 to 13 mm] long, narrowly ovate, petals linear, acute, and the lip .26 to .316" x .4 to .44" [6.5 to 7.9 x 10 to 11 mm], reniform with 2 prominent calli and a mid-rib. Epidendrum microtigriphyllum Ocupa, Hágsater & E.Santiago has leaves .4 to 1.2" x .16 to .4" [1.0 to 3.0 x 0.4 to 1.0 cm], ovate-lanceolate, sepals .66 to .72" [16.5 to 18 mm] long, and the lip .56 x .72" [14 x 18 mm], cordiform-reniform, with a single prominent transverse callus. Epidendrum nudosabanillense Hágsater has very small leaves, .24 to .4" x .16 to .36" [0.6 to 1.0 x 0.4 to 0.9 cm], pale green flowers tinged purple, sepals .448" [11.2 mm] long, and the lip .288 to .4" [7.2 to 10 mm] long, cordiform." Hagsater & Cisneros 2020

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1839 Hagsater & Santiago 2020 TYPE drawing fide;

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