Epidendrum stenostachyum Hágsater & E.Santiago 2004 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

EARLIER

Common Name or Meaning The Narrow Inflorescence Epidendrum

Flower Size 1/2" [1.25 cm]

Found in northern Colombia on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta at elevations of 2600 to 3400 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with very branched in the apical half, cane-like, terete basally and laterally compressed above stems carrying about 12 on the main stem, 5 on the branches, narrowly lanceolate, subacute, low dorsal keel, coriaceous, margin entire leaves that blooms in the winter and earlier spring on a terminal, terete, thin, short to 3.5" [8.75 cm] long, narrow, cylindrical, arching-nutant, racemose, to 14 flowered inflorescence that occurs only once and with as long as or slightly shorter than the ovary, narrowly ovate, acute, conduplicate, amplexicaul, slightly papillose floral bract.

"Epidendrum stenostachyum belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Soratae which is characterized by the branching habit starting on a monopodial primary stem, infundibuliform, rugose leaf-sheaths, lanceolate, aristate, acute leaves, racemose subcapitate inflorescence on a short, thin peduncle, and the bicallose lip. The new species is monopodial with many branches produced along the apical half of the stem, the inflorescence a long narrow cylinder with small flowers, the lip entire, widely triangular-ovate, the apex slightly retuse, and the falcate petals are somewhat more than twice as wide towards the apex as near the base. Epidendrum soratae from Bolivia, has a reniform, apically somewhat 3-lobed, bicallose lip, and the nectary inflated at the height of the perianth. Epidendrum karstenii Rchb.f., from around Bogotá, also has a narrowly cylindric inflorescence, but the plant habit is strictly sympodial and scarcely branched, with the new growth produced from the middle of the previous growth; the lip is deeply 3-lobed and the calli globose. Epidendrum scopulorum Rchb.f. is very similar but the new branches appear from the apex of the previous branch and thus appear as long branches with lateral inflorescences, wider ovate-lanceolate leaves .6" [1.5 cm] wide, relatively long peduncle of the inflorescence with an intermediate bract, few flowers on a compact, short, arching, nutant raceme, and the shallowly 3-lobed lip, the lobes subequal in size, the midlobe trapezoid and the base of the lip deeply cordate, the sepals about .32" [8 mm] long."Hagsater 2004

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 791 Hagsater & Sanchez 2004 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 8 Plate 900 Hagsater & Sanchez 2006 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 949 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 drawing fide;