Epidendrum tacanaense Hágsater, Soto Arenas & E.Santiago 2008 GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Arbuscula

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

LATE LATER

Common Name The Tacana Volcano Epidendrum [A Volcano in Chiapas Mexico]

Flower Size 1" [2.5 mm]

Found in Chiapas State of Mexico solely on the slopes of the Volcano Tacana near the Guatemalan border in remnant oak-Chiranthodendron forest remnants in corn fields at elevations around 2300 meters as a medium to giant sized, cold growing epiphyte with cane-like, terete, straight stems enveloped below by non-foliaceous sheaths and carrying 2 to 4, aggregate towards the apex of the stem, alternate, articulate, sub-coriaceous, elliptic, rounded, unequally bilobed, margin entire leaves that blooms in the late winter through later spring on a terminal, occuring only once, arching, peduncle somewhat laterally compressed, straight, provided with 1 to 3, narrowly triangular, acuminate bracts, racemose, mostly simultaneously 15 to 43 flowered inflorescence with about half as long as the ovary, narrowly triangular, acuminate, progressively smaller above, scarious floral bracts and carrying resupinate, slightly herbaceously fragrant flowers with the tepals pale greenish with a slight reddish tinge, the lip pale green, the disc white, the callus pale yellow and the column is basally green with the apical half white sometimes with small purple marks apically.

"Epidendrum tacanaense belongs to the GROUP Arbuscula SUBGROUP Arbuscula which is characterized by the successive lateral growths produced from the middle of the previous growth, few leaves aggregate towards the apex of the stems, arching, apical inflorescence with membranaceous, colorful flowers with a bicallose lip. The species is recognized by many flowered inflorescence, the tepals green, sometimes tinged with slight reddish, the white to pale green, suborbicular to slightly 3-lobed lip with the apical half strongly revolute, and the disc with 3 prominent, parallel keels. It closely resembles E. radioferens which is practically identical in shape but the flowers are magenta-red to intense burgundy-red, with the lip having multiple radiating, thickened keels in addition to the 3 central keels, all the keels cream-colored. Epidendrum arbuscula Lindl. has greenish cream colored flowers which turn yellowish brown with time, the sepals strongly arched forward, .52 to .64" [13 to 16 mm] long, and the lip clearly 3- lobed, with 3, evident keels on the disc. Epidendrum alticola Ames & Correll has a few-flowered inflorescence, white or cream-colored flowers, the disc suborbicular with yellow calli; the lip itself is spreading, not horizontally revolute." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1186 Hagsater, Arena and Santiago 2008 drawing fide

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------