Epidendrum congestum Rolfe 1913 GROUP Nanodes
Photos by © Franco Pupulin, Used under permission of Epidendra Website CR
Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website
THROUGH 
Common Name The Congested Epidendrum [refers to the tightly crowded leaves and flowers]
Flower Size .4" [1 cm]
Found in western Costa Rica in seasonally dry forests on oaks at elevations around 1300 to 1750 meters as a mini-miniature [less than 1" long] sized, cool growing epiphtye with an erect to pendant stem enveloped completely by imbricate leaf bearing sheaths and carrying 5 to 11, distichous, spreading, amplexicaul, succulent, ovate to ovate-oblong, rounded, slightly bilobed apically leaves that blooms in the fall through spring on a terminal, sessile, few flowered, occurring only once inflorescence with shorter than the ovaries, obovate, oblique, rounded, conduplicate floral bracts and 2 to 3 simultaneously opening flowers.
"Epidendrum congestum belongs to the GROUP Nanodes , characterized by the caespitose to creeping, sympodial plants, the short stems completely covered by the base of the non-articulate, fleshy, imbricating leaves anf the sessile, few-flowered inflorescence. The species is recognized by the 2 to 3 green flowers, sometimes tinged with reddish purple, the emerald-green, cordiform lip w ith the margin entire, the clinandrlum hood somewhat erose, and the apex of the anther truncate and dentate. Epidendrum congestoides Ames & C.Schweinf. has a two-flowered inflorescence, greenish bronze or reddish-purple tinted flowers, the lip reniform-semiorbicular, with the base deeply cordate, and the clinandrium hood fimbriate. Epidendrum schlechterianum Ames & C.Schweinf. has relatively long flowers, the sepals .68 to .8" [17 to 20 mm] long, and the lip cordate-reniform, with the margin irregularily dentate, the column .4 to .56" [10 to 14 mm] long with the anther elongate, and the clinandrium-hood with the margin deeply lacerate- dentate. Epidendrum serruliferum Schltr. has acute floral bracts, an acute triangular to ovate-triangular, shortly acuminate sepals, the margin of the petals ciliate, and the lip acuminate." Hagsater etal 2007
Synonyms Nanodes congesta (Rolfe) C.Nelson, J.Sutherl. & Fernald Casas 1998
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 44. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923 as E serruliferum; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 118. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 211. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936; The Orchids of Panama L.O. Williams & P Allen 1946; Ceiba Vol 5 No 1 L O Williams 1956; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Icones Orchidacearum 2 Plate 136 Hagsater & Sanchez 1993 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 363 Hagsater 1999 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 392 Hagsater 1999 see recognition section; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 42 - 43 pg 2626 - 2762 Brieger 2001 as nanodes congestum; Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vanishing Beauty Pupulin 2005 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 920 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 921 Hagsater 2007 drawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 982 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 986 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Miniature Orchids, A Compendium Parsons and Gerritson 2013; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1751 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section;
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