Epidendrum tambillense Hágsater 2018 GROUP Frutex SUBGROUP Leptanthum
LCDP Photo by © E. Hágsater & C. Álvarez /TYPE Photo Eric Hagsater and Icones Orchidacearum 16(2) Plate 1696 Hagsater & Jimenez 2018 AMO Herbaria Website
AT LEAST
Common Name The Bosque Protector Tambillo Epidendrum [reference to where the species occurs]
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in Azuay and Morona- Santiago provinces of Ecuador at elevations Ecuador in sub páramo, high Andean bush, cloud forest, at 3356 to 3382 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with terete stems, totally covered by sheaths of the leaves; sheaths tubular, striated, rugose, yellow-brown and carrying numerous per stem ca. 10 remaining at flowering, sub-parallel to the stem, imbricated, sub-coriaceous narrowly lanceolate, apex narrowly rounded, surface rugose, margin minutely and irregularly crenulate, especially towards the apex, spreading when young, becoming slightly revolute with age leaves that blooms at least in the spring and fall on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle ca. .72 x .12" [1.8 x 0.3 cm], erect, terete; rachis developing through time as successive flowers develop, branches spreading, arching somewhat, to ca. 2.4" [6 cm] long, ca. 5.2" [13 cm] long overall, apical, paniculate, erect, whole surface irregularly and scarcely pustulate, successivley 1 to 2, several flowered inflorescence with progressively shorter, semi-ovate, apex rounded, embracing, wine-red floral bracts and carrying dark wine-red flower with the inside green, especially the column and anther; fragrance apparently absent.
"Epidendrum tambillense belongs to the GROUP Frutex SUBGROUP Leptanthum recognized by the caepitose habit, usutally simple stems, lanceolate leaves, lacking spathes, nutant racemes, widely cordiform to reniform lip. The species is recognized by the moderately thick stems, leaves 3.4 to 3.8 x .36 to .44" [8.5 to 9.5 x 0.9 to 1.1 cm], the erect, paniculate inflorescence with spreading, slightly arching branches, flowers fleshy, wine-red outside, green inside, especially the column, reniform lip, with an entire callus, ovoid, flat plate. It is very similar florally to Epidendrum yacuambiense, but that species has a racemose, arching nutant inflorescence, producing new racemes with time and thus becoming paniculate, but the branches closely arching and nutant. It resembles Epidendrum papallactense which is larger in every way, stems 18.4 to 28" [46 to 70 cm] long, somewhat laterally compressed, leaves 3 to 5.6" x .52 to .8" [7.5 to 14 x 1.4 to 2.0 cm], flowers blue to black, lip green to black, column green, lip widely reniform, base truncate, embracing the column, with a “Y” shaped callus. Epidendrum lepthanthum Hágsater, from the same area, has thin stems to 16" [40 cm] tall, narrowly lanceolate leaves 1.04 to 3.2" x .16 to .28" [2.6 to 8.0 x 0.4 to 0.7 cm], the inflorescence with the peduncle sub-erect, ca. .88" [2.2 cm] long, arching-nutant raceme with successive, cretaceous, whitish flowers, delicate in substance, sepals .32 to .336" [8.0 to 8.4 cm] long, and the lip deeply and widely cordiform, .24 x .26" [6.0 x 6.5 mm], embracing the column, callus “W” shaped. Epidendrum harlingii Hágsater & Dodson has sub-spreading leaves 2.16 to 4.84" x .28 to .48" [5.4 to 12.1 x 0.7 to 1.2 cm], inflorescence is paniculate, erect, spreading, flowers yellowish green to brown-violet, lip somewhat spreading, not embracing the column, widely cordiform, base nearly truncate, callus “Y” shaped." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 16(2) Plate 1696 Hagsater & Jimenez 2018 drawing/photo fide
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