Epidendrum transversovatum Hágsater & Dodson 2001 GROUP Alberti SUBGROUP Physinga

TYPE Drawing by © Lopez and The AMO Herbaria Website

LATER

Common Name The Transversly Ovate Epidendrum [refers to the lip shape]

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in northern Ecuador in the Pacific lowlands in montane pluvial forests at elevations around 750 meters as a miniature to small sized, warm growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, ancipitous, erect stems carrying 2 to 4, all along the apical half of the stem, narrowly elliptic, acuminate, with a dorsal keel, margin entire leaves that blooms in the later summer on a terminal, without a spathe, on a mature stem, racemose, erect, peduncle ancipitous, two winged, naked, with a bract just under the smaller floral bracts, 2.6 to 3.6" [6.5 to 9 cm] long overall, successively single, to five flowered inflorescence with as long as the ovary, elliptic, obtuse, conduplicate, imbricate floral bracts and carrying pale green, resupinate flowers without fragrance data.

"Epidendrum transversovatum belongs to the GROUP Alberti SUBGROUP Physinga, distinguished by the caespitose habit, ancipitous stems, apical inflorescence, the apical peduncle ancipitous to the degree of being two-winged, the raceme subtended by a conduplicate bract at the apex of the peduncle, the floral bracts imbricate, flowers successive, one at a time, frequently with a prominent clinandrium. The species is recognized by the transversely ovate lip, the narrowly elliptic, 3- veined petals and the prominent swollen veside at the apical half of the ovary. Epidendrum allenii L. O. Williams has longer, wider leaves, linear petals, and a subreniform to obovate, obscurely three-lobed lip, the margin entire. Epidendrum lankesteri Ames has much larger plants, a slender ovary, linear, single veined petals, a subrotund lip, obscurely lobed near the base, and the column .44 [11 mm] long. Epidendrum panamense Schltr. is similar but has longer leaves, narrowly linear petals, and floral bracts shorter than the ovary. Epidendrum aristatum Ackerman & Montalvo with aristate sepals, filiform petals, a reniform lip, and prominent calli arching within the long clinandrium, and is found in the same locality.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 493 Hágsater 2001 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 12 Plate 1207 Hagsater 2009 see recognition section;

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