Epidendrum thiagoi Hágsater & L.Sánchez 2010 GROUP Difforme

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name Thiago's Epidendrum [Brazilian Orchid Botanist current]

Flower Size .8" [2 cm]

Found in the Planalto of Brazil in the states of Goias, Distrito Federal and Minas Gerais at elevations of 800 to 1100 meters as a miniature to small sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, somewhat laterally compressed towards the apex, slightly flexuous stems carrying 4 to 7, all along the stem, lanceolate-elliptic, coriaceous, spreading, smooth, green, retuse to asymetrically bilobed, minutely aristate, margin entire leaves that blooms in the summer on a terminal, arising on a mature stem, peduncle short, inconspicuous, sub-umbellate, simultaneously 1 to 3 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying resupinate, green flowers.

"Epidendrum thiagoi belongs to the GROUP Difforme which is characterized by the caespitose, sympodial plants, fleshy, pale green to glaucous leaves, apical inflorescence, sessile, rarely with a short peduncle, one-flowered to corymbose, without spathaceous bracts, fleshy, green to yellowish-green rarely white flowers. The species is recognized by the 4.8 to 10" [12 to 25 cm] tall plants, stems somewhat laterally compressed, with 4 to 7 narrow leaves .32 to .52" [0.8 to 1.3 cm] wide, 1 to 3, simultaneous flowers, a 3-lobed lip, the lateral lobes sub-orbicular, the mid-lobe with a pair of semi-ovate lobes separated by a wide sinus, and the column .124 to .32" [6 to 8 mm] long. It is similar toEpidendrum campaccii which has terete stems, wider leaves .64 to 1.04" [1.6 to 2.6 cm] wide, 5 to 8, large, successive flowers, sepals .443 to .64" [11 to 15.4 mm] long, and the disc of the lip with drops of nectar at the base, column straight, -42 to .44" [10.5 to 11 mm] long. Epidendrum linearidifforme Hágsater & L.Sánchez from the Guyana Shield has narrower leaves, .016 to .024" [0.4 to 0.6 mm} wide, sub-quadrate lateral lobes, and the mid-lobe transversely rectangular with a mucro in the sinus. Epidendrum pseudodifforme Hoehne & Schltr. grows along the Mata Atlântica of Brazil at 200 to 800 meters altitude, has shorter plants to 4.4 to 6" [11 to 15 cm] tall, terete stems with somewhat wider leaves .6 to .68" [1.5 to 1.7 cm], larger flowers, the margin of the lip irregularly crenulate, and a somewhat longer column, .32 to .36" [8 to 9 mm] long. Epidendrum carnevali Hágsater & L.Sánchez grows along the northern coast of Colombia and Venezuela, has 4 to 12 leaved stems, 5 to 10 simultaneous flowers, sepals .52" to .72" [13.5 to 18 mm long, the calli of the lip acute, elongate and divergent, the mid-lobe emarginated, forming a pair of wide, divergent lobes, and the column and ovary papillose. Epidendrum chlorocorymbos Schltr. widely distributed along the Caribbean coast from Mexico to Colombia has plants to 18" [45 cm] tall, terete stems, .4 to 1" [1.0 to 2.5 cm] wide leaves, 5 to 20 simultaneous flowers with sepals .52 to .795" [13 to 19.5 mm] long." Hagsater 2010

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1393 Hagsater & Sanchez 2010 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1551 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section;

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