Epidendrum stevensii Hágsater 1992 GROUP Ramosum SUBGROUP Flexicaule
Photo by Eric Hagsater/TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name Stevens' Epidendrum [American Botanist and Research Director of Missouri Botanical Garden current]
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Costa Rica at elevations around 2600 to 2800 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with branching, cane-like, sinuous, terete, main stem longer, branches shorter, new growth arising from the main stem and near the apex of the previous stem leaves that blooms in the summer through fall on a terminal, arising on the main stem and the branches, occuring only once, racemose, distichous, sinuous, rachis enveloped mostly by bracts, smooth, short, simultaneously 2 to 3 flowered inflorescence with conduplicate, prominent, longer than the ovary, ovate when spread, acute floral bracts.
" Epidendrum stevensii belongs to the GROUP Ramosum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching stems, the spike-like, distichous inflorescence, and the single callus, and the SUBGROUP Flexicaule which has a straggling plant habit, where the main stem is not very evident, and the sepals have a dorsal keel which is generally prominent. The speces is recognized by the long, narrow, linear-elliptic leaves up to 2.8 x .28" [7 x 0.7 cm] leaves, the green flowers with the lip triangular, narrowed above the middle, apex acute, sepals .24 to .32" [6 to 8 mm] long, floral segments acute. It is similar to Epidendrum flexicaule Schltr. which is vegetatively very similar, and has very similar copper-green though larger flowers, the sepals .36 to .48" [9 to 12 mm] long and a wider lip, .28" x .24" [7 x 6 mm], the floral segments rounded at the apex. Epidendrum ramosum has consistently shorter « 2" [5 cm), wider leaves, up to .6" [15 mm], the relatively large green flowers, sepals .44" [11 mm] long, the lip constricted below the middle, .256" [6.4 to 4.5 mm], and the deep nectary without forming a prominent vesicle. Epidendrum veraguasense Hágsater from Panama, has large, white flowers, a larger lip, .32 x .24" [8 x 6 mm], constricted above the middle, and the nectary only penetrates half the ovary and forms a prominent vesicle behind the perianth." Hagsater 2008
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Orquídea (Mexico City), n.s., 12(2): 284 Hagsater 1992 drawing/photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 366 Hagsater 1999 see recognition section; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1183 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 drawing fide; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1669 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section;
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