Epidendrum stenobractistachyum Hágsater & E.Santiago 2015 GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

THROUGH EARLY

Common Name The Narrow Bracted Ear Of Corn Epidendrum

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Colombia from the upper reaches of the Cordillera Oriental in Boyaca to Huila and the Cordillera Central of Tolima in the Parque nacianal de Purace to Putomayo and Narino at the Ecuadorian border in cloud forests at elevations of 2300 to 3400 meters as a giant sized, cold growing terrestrial with terete, thin, straight, cane-like, branching up to 4 in maturity stems carrying numerous on the main stem, all along the stems, articulate, alternate, sub-erect, lanceolate, obtuse, narrowly bilobed, margin entire leaves that blooms in the summer through early spring on a terminal, erect, without a spathe, erect, racemose, occurting only once, peduncle .4 to .48" [1 to 1.2 cm] long, terete, erect, striaght, naked, rachis 2.2 to 6.4" [5.5 to 16 cm] long, main stem raceme 6.8" [17 cm] long, branch racemes 2.6 to 4.8" [6.5 to 12 cm] long, simultaneously 10 to 18 flowered inflorescence with prominent, slightly longer than the ovary (gradually diminishing in size towards the apex of the rachis), narrowly oblong to lanceolate-triangular, acuminate, embracing floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate, fleshy, pale yellow green fowers with the column tinted purple.

"Epidendrum stenobractistachyum 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 leaves, sub-dense inflorescence to 6.8" [17 cm] long (on the main stem) with 10 to 18 greenish yellow flowers, with prominent narrow floral bracts, .16 to .24" [4 to 6 mm] wide, slightly longer than the ovary, the sepals elliptic, .52 to .6" [14 to 15 mm] long, petals oblong, lip deltate, the base truncate, corners rounded. Epidendrum chondrochilum which is vegetatively similar, but the inflorescence is shorter and lax flowered, 1.6 to 3.2" [4 to 8 cm] long, with 4 to 6 greenish brown flowers, the floral bracts are widely ovate, .32 to .48" [8 to 12 mm] wide; sepals and petals are spreading or partly spreading, sepals oblong elliptic to .48" [12 mm] long, and the petals lanceolate. Epidendrum recurvitepalostachyum Hágsater & E.Santiago also has lanceolate leaves but the inflorescence is much shorter, few-flowered, the rachis sinuous, the floral bracts are triangular-ovate, .24 to .56" x .2 to .48" [6 to 14 x 5 to 12 mm], sepals and petals recurved, petals oblong-elliptic and the lip deltate with the base slightly cordate." Hagsater etal 2015

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidaeacrum 15[1] Plate 1562 Hagsater & Santiago 2015 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1552 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1554 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [2] Plate 1577 Hagsater & Sanchez 2016 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 photo good;

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