Epidendrum thompsonii Hágsater & Dodson 1999 GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Vernixium

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

LATER

Common Name Thompson's Epidendrum [American Orchid Collector in Ecuador current]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in southern Ecuador on the Cordillera Oriental in upper, wet montane forests at elevations around 2300 meters as a medium sized, cold growing terrestrial with branching from the upper parts of the main stem, branches smaller, cane-like, terete, erect stems carrying numerous onj the main stem, 7 to 8 on the branches, alternate, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, all along the stem, acute, margin entire leaves that bloooms in the later spring on a terminal, arising on a mature stem, occuring only once, peduncle terete, erect, naked, 2.8 to 3.2" [7 to 8 cm] long overall, arching, paniculate, with a principal raceme and a secondary few flowered one at the base, successively almost all, to 20 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, triangular, acuminate floral bracts and carrying resupinate, green flowers.

"Epidendrum thompsonii belongs to the GROUP Andean SUBGROUP Vernixium which is recognized by its long erect, cane-like stems with subapical branching, the branches shorter, the rugose-warty leaf-sheaths, acute leaves. It is florally very similar to Epidendrum trachychlaena but the leaves of that species are much larger and fewer, being 3.2 to 6" x 1 to 1.98" [8 to 15 x 2.5 to 4.8 cm], and the margin of the lip obscurely serrulate. Epidendrum adamsii Hágsater & Dodson has longer and narrower sepals and petals, more rounded lobes of the lip, a straight column, the leaves bilobed, not acute" Hagsater etal 1999

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 385 Hagsater & Dodson 1999 drawing fide;

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