Epidendrum suaveolens Ames 1922 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cernuum

Photo by © Franscisco Tobar and Flickr Orchid Photo Website

Drawing

Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

THROUGH

Common Name The Sweet Epidendrum [refers to the scent]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Colombia and Ecuador in cloud forests at elevations of 2800 to 3700 meters as a medium to giant sized, cold growing terrestrial with cane-like, terete, erect, straight, main stem tall, branching above, branches shorter, carrying 12 or more on the main stem, 5 on the branches, all along the stem, distichous, subcoriaceous, oblong-elliptic, obtuse, margin entire, bilobed, articulate below into the base leaves that blooms in the fall through spring on a terminal, racemose, occuring only once, arching, very short, .2 to .4" [.5 to 1 cm] long, subterete, smooth, lax, many flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, linear-lanceolate, acuminate floral bracts and carrying 10 to 25, resupinate, simultaneously opening, sweetly fragrant flowers.

"Epidendrum suaveolens is part of GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Cernuum c haracterized by the monopodial habit, cane-like stems with subapical branches which are considerably shorter than the main stem, coriaceous to sub-coriaceous leaves, and fleshy flowers, the lip entire or 3-lobed. The species is recognized by the oblong-elliptic leaves 1.08" to 3" x .6 to .92" [2.7 to 7.5 x 1.5 to 2.3 cm], the fleshy, greenish white to greenish yellow flowers, fragrant of geraniol, oblong-elliptic sepals .56 to .68" x .24 to .28" [14 to 17 x 6 to 7 mm], the lateral lobes of the lip wider than the midlobe which is emarginate and minutely apiculate. Epidendrum pastoënse Schltr. is vegetatively similar and has the same geographic distribution, but the flowers of that species are somewhat smaller, the oblong-triangular lateral sepals .44 to .48" [11 to 12 mm] long, with a prominent apical awn, the petals are elliptic, obtuse, and the apex of the midlobe of the lip tridentate, not emarginate. Epidendrum mojandae Schltr. is endemic to Ecuador, with similar colored and sized flowers, but the lateral lobes of the lip are as wide as the midlobe, and the petals are narrower, oblong-lanceolate, .16" [4 mm] wide. Epidendrum torquatum Lindl. has smaller flowers with sepals .44 to .48" [11 to 12 mm] long, and the lateral lobes of the lip are flabelliform, and the cuneate midlobe is apically tridentate." Hagsater etal 2009

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Flora de Venezuela Volumen 15 Parte 3 Foldats as E cornicallosum drawing good; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 5 Dunsterville & Garay 1972 not = E cornicallosum; Bot Notiser 130 Lojtnant 1977; Orchids of Venezuela, [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Dunsterville and Garay 1979 not = E cornicallosum; Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 430 Hagsater 2001 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1272 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1295 Hagsater & Sanchez 2009 drawing fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017;

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