Epidendrum troxalis Luer 1981 GROUP Piperianum

TYPE Drawing by © Carl Luer and The Epidendra Website

Common Name The Grasshopper Epidendrum [refers to the appearance of the flower]

Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Loja province of Ecuador in cloud forests in dense scrubby vegetation at elevations of 2900 to 3200 meters as a medium sized, cold growing, climbing epiphyte with a succession of stems produced from the sub-apical internode of the previous stem, scarcely branching, the base of each stem provided with a non-foliar and infundibuliform, apex acuminate bract numerous on the primary stem, 3 each per secondary stem, distributed in the upper 2/3's of the stem, sub-coriaceous, sub-erect, infundibuliform, minutely striated, articulate to the leaf sheath, blade elliptic, obtuse, dorsally carinate and minutely apiculate, margin entire leaves that blooms in the later winter, spring and summer on a terminal, without a spathe, subsessile, peduncle .04 to .08" [1 to 2 mm] long, single flowered inflorescence arising through the leaf axil.

"Epidendrum troxalis belongs to the GROUP Piperianum which is recognized by the monopodial, short, branching habit, filiform petals, and entire, ecallose lip. The species is recognized by the epiphytic habit, short, 3-leaved secondary stems, leaves .8 to 1.2" x .2 to .32" [2 to 3 x 0.5 to 0.8 cm], elliptic, inflorescence a single flower, yellowish purple with the lip yellow, the dorsal sepal linear-oblong, slightly reflexed, lateral sepals fused forming a synsepal, apically bifid, and the lip sub-orbicular to triangular, base slightly cordate. Epidendrum piperinum Lindl. has bushlike, pendent, stems 1 to 15.2" [2.5 to 38 cm] long, with 9 or more leaves, .28 to .56" x .12 to .24" [0.7 to 1.6 x 0.3 to 0.6 cm], oblong to oblong-elliptic, flowers greenish yellow, petals always parallel to the dorsal sepal, spreading to slightly reflexed, lateral sepals partly spreading, obliquely united to the column, but not fused, and the lip triangular, base strongly cordate. Epidendrum neudeckeri has plants 40" [100 cm] tall, numerous leaves 1 to 3.6" x .36 to .8" [2.5 to 9.0 x 0.9 to 2 cm], elliptic, flowers yellowish green, sepals .42 to .52" [10.5 to 13 mm] long, free, and the lip triangular-ovate, base truncate" Hagsater etal 2020

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Selbyana 5(3–4): 385. Luer 1981 drawing fide; Icones Plantarum Tropicarum Plate 923 Dodson 1984 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1360 Hagsater & Sanchez 2010 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1831 Hagsater, Pfahl & Cisneros 2020 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1842 Hagsater and Santiago 2020 Drawing fide

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