Epidendrum tobarii Hágsater & Dodson 2004 GROUP Difforme
Photo by Diego Francisco Tobar Suarez Copyright © 2009,
TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name Tobar's Epidendrum [Ecuadorian Orchid Enthusiast Current]
Flower Size 1.6" [4 cm]
Found in Pichincha province of Ecuador at elevations around 800 to 850 meters as a mini-miniature sized, warm growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, somewhat laterally compressed, straight stems carrying 3 to 4, equidistant all along the stem, sub-coriaceous, ovate-elliptic, bilobed apically, entire margin leaves that blooms in the spring and summer on a terminal, without a spathe, occuring only once, subcorymbose, sessile, single flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, ovate, rounded floral bract carrying a resupinate, yellowish green flower apparently without fragrance.
"Epidendrum tobarii belongs to the GROUP Difforme which is recognized 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 new species has short plants, about 4.8" [12 cm] tall, small leaves, single flowers, sepals and petals narrowly elliptic, the sepals 9 to 11 veined, the petals adnate to the basal third of the column, 7 veined and the lip subquadrate with numerous thickened veins, the column arching and long with a prominent clinandrium hood. It is similar to Epidendrum platychilum which is found both north and south, has wider and longer leaves 2.4 to 3.24 x .92 to 1.36" [6 to 7.6 x 2.3 to 3.4 cm], sepals and petals with a sinuate, revolute margin, and the obovate, 3 to 5 veined petals adnate only to the base of the column. Epidendrum kerryae Hágsater & L. Sánchez has larger plants, wider, longer leaves 2 to 3.8" x 1 to 1.6" [5 to 9.5 x 2.5 to 4 cm], a triquetrous ovary, with a swollen vesicle behind tlíe perianth, the lip suborbicular with the veins on the disc only slightly thickened, and a short, straight column .32to .36" [8 to 9 mm] long. Other species of this group with swollen veins are Epidendrum amparoanum Schltr. from the Pacific slope of Costa Rica and Panama, and Epidendrum yojoaense Hagsater from the Atlantic slope in Honduras." Hagsater etal 2004
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 7 Hagsater & Sanchez Plate 796 2004 drawing ok; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1632 Hagsater & Santiago 2018 See recognition section;
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