Epidendrum tundaymense Hágsater, E.Santiago & Tobar 2018 GROUP Aquaticum
TYPE Photo by © Francisco Tobar/TYPE Drawing © by R Jimenenz and The AMO Herbario Website
EARLIER 
Common Name The San Marcos de Tundayme Epidendrum [ within the Shuar indigenous nation, at the foot of this part of the Cordillera del Cóndor Mirador, where the type orchid was found]
Flower Size .48" [1.2 cm]
Found in Loja province of Ecuador in wet tropical forests on the upper slope leading to the Andean Tepui above Tandayme, a part of the Cordillera del Cóndor, at elevations of 1664 to 1700 meters as a large sized, cool growing terrestrial with cane-like, branching, terete, erect stems with the branches 2.6 to 5.2" x .08 to .16" [6.5 to 13 x 0.2 to 0.4 cm] carrying Leaves of the main stem not seen, 4 to 7 on the branches, distributed throughout, articulate, distichous, coriaceous, rigid, spreading; provided with a tubular, rugose basal leaf sheath, blade narrowly ovate-lanceolate, apex acute, margin entire leaves that blooms in the winter spring summer and earlier fall on a terminal, without a spathe, peduncle .68 to 1.64" [1.7 to 4.1 cm] long, terete, thin, straight. 4.46 to 5.2" [11.5 to 13.0 cm] long, apical, flowering only once, paniculate, with 1 or 3 racemes in addition to the main raceme, all erect, the racemes 2 to 2.36" [5.0 to 5.9 cm] long, laxly successively, 3 to 5 open at any time per raceme, 19 to 35 flowered inflorescence with slightly longer than the ovary, triangular-ovate, cucullate, acute, embracing at a right angle in relation to the rachis floral bracts and carrying. , non-resupinate, fleshy, ochre colored flowers without fragrance.
"Epidendrum tundyamense belongs to the GROUP Aquaticum which is characterized by the monopodial, branching habit, the distichous, erect to arching-nutant inflorescence, with fleshy flowers, and the disc of the lip and/or nectary often pillose. The new species is recognized by the small plants, leaves .8 to 1.44 x .4 to .64" [2.0 to 3.6 x 1.0 to 1.6 cm], narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acute, the paniculate inflorescence with all the branches erect, laxly few-flowered, flowers ochre, floral segments spreading, sepals .3 to .38" [7.5 to 7.7 mm] long, petals .272 x .064 [6.8 x 1.6 mm], oblong-elliptic, bicallose, calli adjacent, parallel, forming a “W”. Epidendrum durum is vegetatively similar, but the flowers are greenish white, sepals and petals partly spreading, of similar size, petals linear-elliptic and oblique, lateral lobes of the lip subquadrate, and has a single “V” shaped callus. Epidendrum alsum Ridl. has leaves 1 to 1.72" x .56 to .72" [2.5 to 4.3 x 1.4 to 1.8 cm], ovate, apex obtuse and margin revolute, inflorescence paniculate but deflexed, floral segments partly spreading. Epidendrum ulei Schltr. has leaves 1 to 3.8" x .4 to .8" [2.5 to 9.5 x 1 to 2 cm], oblong-lanceolate, apex obtuse, inflorescence arching with flowers greenish yellow, sepals .28 to .4" x .1 to .18" [7 to 10 x 2.5 to 4.5 mm], floral bracts very prominent, .2 to .48" [5 to 12 mm] long." Hagsater etal 2018
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 16[1] Plate 1662 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 drawing/photo fide;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
