Epidendrum swartzii (Rchb.f. ex Griseb.) Hágsater 2007 GROUP Ramosum SUBGROUP Repens

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

LATE THROUGH EARLY

Common Name Swartz's Epidendrum [Swedish Collector and Botanist 1700's]

Flower Size .2" [5 mm]

Found in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic on trees at elevations of 510 to 700 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm growing epiphyte with cane-like, branched, new growths arise from the upper internodes of the previous stem, basally terete, somewhat laterally compressed above, more or less sinuous stem carrying 6 to 10 on the main stem, less on the branches, erect, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, unequally bilobed, aristate, coriaceous leaves that blooms in the late summer through early winter on a terminal, without a spathe, distichous, .48 to .6" [1.2 to 1.5 cm] long, successively single, to 3 flowered inflorescence with longer than the ovary, conduplicate, oblong-ovate, obtuse floral bracts and carrying flowers without color or fragrance data.

"Epidendrurn swartzii 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 Repens , which has strictly pendent plants, with smal lleaves, less than 1" [2.5 cm] long. The species can be recognized by the pendent, compact, bush-like plants, 3.2 to 4" [8 to 10 cm] tall, produced on a single, basal stem which is branched above, inflorescence with 3 successive flowers, sepals lanceolate, rounded , 5 to 7 veined, ovary inflated ventrally towards the apex, sepals .16 to .188" [4.0 to 4.7 mm] long, petals linear, obtuse, 3 veined lip triangular-sagitate, acuminate, nearly twice as long as it is wide, with several prominent veins on the disc, column winged, the wings triangular and acute. It is similar to Epidendrum strobiliferurn Rchb.f. but that species has creeping plants which usually form large branching mats, 4.8 to 12" [12 to 30 cm] long, sepals -12 to .16" [3 to 4 mm long, the lip is cordiform, triangular, about as wide as it is long. Epidendrurn repens Cogn. and E. brachyrepens Hágsater, are single flowered, the flowers larger with sepals .24 to .32" [6 to 8 mm] long, the ovary is not inflated and the lip is ecallose. Epidendrum zanoni DD. Dod has larger plants and flowers, the leaves 2:9 to 6.5 cm long, and the sepals .2 to .38" [5 to 9.5 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2007

Synonyms *Epidendrum strobiliferum var. swartzii Rchb.f. ex Griseb.1864

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 994 Hagsater 2007 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1390 Hagsater & Santiago 2010 See recognition section;

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