Epidendrum unifoliatum Schltr.1921 GROUP Jajense
TYPE Drawing by © Schlechter
Common Name The Single Leaf Epidendrum
Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]
Found in Loreto department of northern Peru montane forest at elevations of 2500 to 3000 meters as a mini-miniature to minature sized, cold growing caespitose epiphyte with simple, thickened, suberect, terete with 2, obtuse, tubular, smooth, striated when dry, evanescent, clasping bracts and carrying a single, articulate, dark green, the veins marked pale green, with a short petiole, elliptic, flat, apex obtuse, bilobed, margin entire, involute when dry leaves that blooms in the fall on a terminal, arising through a clasping, linear-oblong, slightly inflated at the middle, apex acute spathe, peduncle .52 to 1.4" x .08" [1.3 to 3.5 x .2 cm], terete, rachis .72 to .88" [1.8 to 2.2 cm] long, thin, terete, slightly arching, subcorymbose, densely, successively several, lip always faces rachis, 8 to 20 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, triangular, obtuse, erect-spreading floral bracts and carrying fleshy, glabrous flowers.
Epidendrum unifoliatum belongs to the GROUP Jajense, which is recognized by the short, caespitose plants with thickened, terete stems, apical leaves and sub-umbellate inflorescence subtended or not by a small spathe, the flowers with a tridentlike, 3-lobed lip, with a pair of calli. The species is easily recognized by the long, terete, one-leaved stems, with a apical sub-corymbose inflorescence on an elongate peduncle, nearly totally covered by a tubular spathe, the whole inflorescence about half as long as the leaf, the petals 3-veined, the lip with obtuse to emarginate lobes. Specimens have been identified as "Malaxis” and as E. jajense Rchb.f., the latter differs in the much shorter stems, the very short inflorescence, without any spathe, the acute apex of the 3 lobes of the lip, the single veined petals, and the more slender column." Hagsater etal 2020
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; *Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 9: 95 Peru Schlechter 1921; Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. Figuren -Atlas 57:478 Schlechter 1929 drawing fide; Orchids of Peru Vol 2 Schweinfurth 1959; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1815 2020 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1846 Hagsater & Santiago 2020 LCDP Photo/photo
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