Epidendrum xylostachyum Lindl. 1845 GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum

Drawing by © R Jimenez M and Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1848 Hagsater & Santiago 2020

Common Name The Woody Inflorescence Epidendrum

Flower Size 2" [5 cm]

Found in Antioquia and Tolima departments of Colombia at elevations of 2800 to 3600 meters as a unknown sized, cold growing terrestrial.

"Epidendrum xylostachyum belongs to the GROUP Macrostachyum SUBGROUP Macrostachyum, which is characterized by the monopodial plants with subapical branching, rugose leaf sheaths, large leaves generally spreading, erect racemose inflorescence, and fleshy flowers generally green to black (ripe olive colored), as well as yellow to pink to purple, with an entire, conduplicate, generally ecallose lip embracing the column, and the nectary pubescent to papillose in front of the stigmatic cavity and at least at the base of the lip. The species is recognized by the oblong-elliptic leaves, those of the branches 2.52 to 6.48 x .96 to 1.4" [6.8 to 16.2 x 2.4 to 3.5 cm, inflorescence short and dense, the floral bracts very prominent, .28 to .68" x .52 to .88" [7 to 17 x 13 to 22 mm, widely ovate and oblique, with the apex uncinate, the flowers greenish white tinged reddish purple, and the sepals oblong-elliptic, the laterals .528 to .6 x .32 to .38" [13.2 to 15 x 8.0 to 9.5 mm], petals .432 to .516" x .192 to .216" [10.8 to 12.9 x 4.8 to 5.4 mm], oblong-obovate. Epidendrum macrostachyum Lindl. has much longer inflorescences, lax flowered, 6.4 to 12" [16 to 30 cm] long, flowers the color of ripe olives, floral bracts triangular, acute, narrower, .32 to .72 x .2 to .56" [8.0 to 18 x 5.0 to 14 mm], sepals elliptic to narrowly ovate-elliptic, .44 to .46 x .2 to .24" [11.0 to 11.5 x 5.0 to 6.0 mm], and the petals linear-oblong, much narrower that the sepals. Epidendrum ariasii Hágsater & Dodson has elliptic-lanceolate leaves, 1.6 to 4.4" x .56 to .92" [4 to 11 x 1.4 to 2.3 cm, flowers reddish orange, an inflorescence dense and many-flowered, 4 to 6" [10 to 15 cm] long, and sepals obovate with the apex rounded to sub-acute, .56 x .384 to .416" [14 x 9.6 to 10.4 mm], petals widely spatulate .528 x .32" [13.2 x 8.0 mm], slightly narrower than the sepals. Epidendrum erikae Hágsater & E.Santiago has lilac-rose flowers, oblong-lanceolate leaves 3.6 to 6.8" x .8 to 2" [9 to 17 x 2.0 to 5.0 cm], a longer inflorescence, 2.8 to 5.2" [7 to 13 cm] long, 15- to 20 successive flowers, and sepals .56 to .64" [14 to 16 mm] long. Epidendrum megalophyllostachyum Hágsater, E.Santiago & Rodr.-Martínez has much larger elliptic leaves, 4 to 7.2" x 1.2 to 2" [10 to 18 x 3.0 to 5.0 cm], apex acute, an inflorescence 5.2 to 7.2" [14 to 18 cm] long, lax-flowered, bracts spaced along the rachis, longer than the ovary, triangular ovate, .4 to 1" X .4 to .8" [10 to 25 x 10 to 20 mm], sepals .72 to .8" x .36 to .48" [18 to 20 x 9.0 to 12 mm], and flowers pale green to green-yellow." Hagsater etal 2020

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 5 COS 1994 photo fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 6 COS 1998 errata; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 707 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1514 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 15 [1] Plate 1521 Hagsater & Sanchez 2015 see recognition section; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017; Icones Orchidacearum 16[1} Plate 1642 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(1) plate 1848 Hagsater & Santiago 2020 Drawing/photo

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