Epidendrum polyanthogastrium Hágsater & Dodson 1999 GROUP Megagastrium Photo courtesy of Oliver Lenhard ©

Common Name The Many Belly Flowers Epidendrum [refers to the flowers with the excavated papilate disc of the lip]

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Ecuador on the western slopes of the Andes at elevations around 2000 meters as a miniature to small sized, cool growing epiphyte with terete, fleshy stems giving rise to the next one from the middle of the stem envelopd completely by leaf bearing sheaths each carrying 4 to 6, articulate, ovate, apically bilobed, green, evenly distrubuted along the stem leaves that blooms in the fall and winter on an apical, erect, racemose, 2 to 8 flowered inflorescence arising from a mature cane through a conduplicate, narrowly semi-obovate, obtuse spathe and has non-resupinate, simultaneously opening flowers. This species is similar to E megagastrium which has a triangular, cordate lip and lateral lobes that do not cover the column, and E amplexigastrium which has a trilobed and cuneate lip and lateral lobes that are semi-obovate and directed towards the front and embracing the column and this orchid E polyanthogastrium has an ovate spathe, to 8 flowers, with a triangular cordate lip held in a somewhat horizontal position.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list IPNI ; *Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 373 Hagsater 1999; Icones Orchidacearum 4 Plate 482 Hagsater 2001

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