Epidendrum vulcanicola A.H.Heller 1968 GROUP Polychlamys SUBGROUP Polychlamys

Drawing by © Lopez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Drawing TYPE Drawing by © by Heller and The Epidendra Website

MID to LATE

Common Name The Volocano Residing Epidendrum

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Nicaragua and Costa Rica at elevations around 900 meters as a medium sized, warm growing epiphyte with successive lateral, simple, cane-like, terete, thin stems enveloped basally by tubular, scarious sheaths and carrying in the upper half, 4 to 5, alternate, coriaceous, elliptic, acute, margin entire leaves that blooms in the mid to late spring on a terminal, occuring only once, racemose, distichous, slightly arching, short, few flowered inflorescence enveloped completely by 4 imbricating bracts similar to the much longer than the ovary, progressively shorter above, narrowly ovate, acute, conduplicate, glumaceous, amplexicaul floral bracts and carrying 3 to 5 successively opening, resupinate flowers.

"Epidendrum vulcanicola belongs to the GROUP Polychlamys SUBGROUP Polychlamys which is characterized by the successive lateral growths, the distichous, apical inflorescence with prominent, conduplicate, acute, glumaceous floral bracts. The species is distinguished by the few flowered inflorescence, small sepals .24" [6 mm] lon), pink to intense lilac flowers, cordiform, bicallose lip with 3 low keels and the nectary forming a prominent spur, separating somewhat from the ovary. Epidendrum sigmoideum Hágsater has successive, green flowers, sepals .34 to .4" [8.5 to 10 mm] long, a reniform lip and a sigmoid ovary with the nectary forming a prominent vesicle which does not form a spur. Epidendrum lutheri Hágsater, has a lax inflorescence with 5 to 9, large sepals .52 to .6" [13 to 15 mm long, green to chocolate-green flowers, the lip oblong and the ovary forming a prominent vesicle which does not form a spur. Epidendrum barbae Rcńb.f. has showy, yellow or greenish yellow flowers sepals .4 to .44" [10 to 11 mm] long, the lip suborbicular-obovate and the nectary forms a prominent spur which is basally free from the ovary." Hagsater etal 2007

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum 7 Plate 744 Hamer 1982 drawing fide; Selbyana Vol 10 Orchids of Central America Hamer 1988 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 381 Hagsater 1999 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 999 Hagsater & Sanchez 2007 drawing fide;

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