Epidendrum trianthum Schltr. 1923 GROUP Loefgrenii
Photo by © Moises Behar and Orchidstudium Website
Photo by © Carol Peroni and Flickriver Orchid Website
Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
Common Name The Three Flowered Epidendrum [Schlechter only had a three flowered specimen to examine]
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica in montane wet forests at elevations of 1000 to 1600 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing epiphyte or lithophyte with erect, simple, cane-like, laterally compressed stems enveloped completely by imbricate leaf-bearing sheaths and carrying 3 to 11, all along the stem, somewhat spreading, articulate, distichous, elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, conduplicate below, obtuse to subacute apically, narrowly bilobed, subcoriaceous, basally clasping leaves that blooms in the fall through spring on a terminal, arising through 2 to 3, widely ovate when spread, rounded, conduplicate, ancipitose, large spathaceous bracts, erect, peduncle .4 to .8" [1 to 2 cm] long, laterally compressed, ancipitose, two-winged, 1.4 to 2.6" [3.5 to 6.5 cm] long overall, racemose, sub-umbellate, dense, simultaneously 3 to 24 flowered inflorescence with shorter than the ovary, triangular, acuminate, clasping florla bracts and carrying resupinate, fleshy flowers.
"Epidendrum trianthum belongs to the GROUP Loefgrenii which is characterized by the sympodial, caespitose plants, apical, subumbeliform inflorescence subtended by prominent, wide, truncate spathaceous bracts, and the ovary with an inflated nectary that forms a vesicle. The species seems to have some vegetative similarities with Epidendrum phylocharis Rchb.f., sharing the ancipitose stems and the short two-winged peduncle of the apical inflorescence, and the wide, conduplicate spathaceous bracts at the apex of the peduncle; the floral bracts however are very different. The Braziian, pendent species like Epidendrum vesicatum Lindl., with the glaucous vegetative parts, are superficially similar in the subumbeliform inflorescence, and the general shape of the flowers." Hagsater etal 2008
Synonyms Epidendrum nagelii L.O.Williams 941
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 296. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956; Las Orquedias De El Salvador Vol 1 Hamer 1974 as Epidendrum nagelii drawing/photo fide; Las Orquedias de El Salvador Vol 3 Hamer 1981 drawing fide; Selbyana Vol 10 Orchids of Central America Hamer 1988 as E nagelii drawing fide; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Guatemala Y Sus Orquideas Behar & Tinschert 1998 as E nagelii photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 11 Plate 1191 Hagsater & Sanchez 2001 drawing fide; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018
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