Epidendrum cardiophorum Schltr. 1911 GROUP Spathiger SUBGROUP Rigidum Photo by © Azucena Briones Muñoz and her Infojardin Photo Album Website

Common Name Heart-Shaped Lip Epidendrum

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama in tropical rainforests, inundated forests, warm oakforests, mangroves, along rivers, in secondary vegatation and savannah-like vegetation at elevations of sea level to 950 meters as a small to just medium sized, ho to warm, scandent or creeping growing epiphyte with erect, cane-like, laterally compressed towards the apex stems carrying 3 to 5, rarely 6 to 7, along the apical 1/2 of the stem, subcoriaceous, smooth, elliptic to narrowly elliptic, bilobed apically, entire marginally, articulate below into the base leaves that blooms from the late spring through mid fall on a terminal, distichous, racemose, laterally compressed, ancipitose, 2" [5 cm] long, successively 7 t o10 flowered inflorescence with 1 to 3, imbricate, short, triangular-ovate, rounded to acute, conduplicate, progreeively smaller shoter to equal to the ovary in length bracts and floral bracts

For years has been givien as a synonym of E rigidum but differs mostly in the calli and keels on the lip and the fact that it occurs in Central America. E rigidum is confined to the Antilles and northern South America. All references from Central America for E rigidum are most likely attributed to this species.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1311 Hagsater & Sanchez 2010 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1361 Hagsater & Sanchez 2010 see recognition section

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