Epidendrum wigginsii Hágsater & Dodson 2001 GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Amplexicaule

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

Common Name Wiggins’ Epidendrum [American Botany Professor at Stanford - Collected the type specimen 1900’s]

Flower Size 1.2" [3 cm]

Found in Pichincha province of Ecuador at elevations around 2650 meters as a medium sized, cold growing epiphyte with straight new stems arising from an upper internode of the previous stem, cane-like, erect stem carrying 3, narrowly elliptic, herbaceous, all along the apical half of the stem, alternate, articulate, elliptic, acuminate, margin entire leaves that blooms in the winter on a terminal, without a spathe, on a mature stem, occuring only once, arching-pendent, paniculate, 3” [7.5 cm] long, successively single, 16 flowered inflorescence with progressively shorter above, narrowly lanceolate, floral bracts and carrying resupinate, greenish-yellow flowers.

"Epidendrum wigginsii belongs to the GROUP Arbusculum SUBGROUP Amplexicaule, which has successive growths, where the new growth is produced from a subapical internode of the previous growth, the acute to acuminate leaves and the paniculate inflorescence. The species is recognized by the pendent, 16 flowered, and the membranaceous yellow-green flowers with a three-lobed lip, the transversely elliptic lateral lobes and the obcuneate, mucronate midlobe distinguish this species. It closely resembles E. haenkeanum Presl from Machu Picchu which has a differently proportioned lip, the sepals about half as wide and the calli much smaller. Epidendrum alexii Hágsater & Dodson has small lateral lobes obliquely dolabriform-triangular, and an elongate midlobe dilated near the apex into a pair of semicircular lobes. Epidendrum amplexicaule Lindl. is vegetatively similar, but the lobes of the lip are oblong, truncate with the distal margin dentate." Hagsater etal 2001

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 499 Hagsater & Santiago 2001 drawing fide;

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