Epidendrum longirepens (C. Schweinf.) C. Schweinf. 1953 GROUP Nanodes
Photo by © Byron Rinke
Photo by © Lourens Grobler.
Common Name The Far Crawling Epidendrum
Flower Size .8" [2 cm]
Found in Iquitos province of Peru at elevations around 100 meters as a small sized, hot growing epiphyte with very short stems enveloped cpmpletely by loose, flaring, imbricating leaf sheath and carrying very small, distichous, approximate, spreading-recurved, oblong-ovate, rounded apically, minutely bilobulate, mucronate, very fleshy leaves that can bloom at any time of the year on a terminal, sessile, single flowered inflorescence.
"Epidendrum longirepens belongs to the GROUP Nanodes , characterized by the caespitose to creeping, sympodial plants with short stems completely covered by the base of the non-articulate, fleshy, imbricating leaves, and the sessile, few-flowered inflorescences. The species is recognized by the low, creeping habit which forms large mats, no more than .08" [2 cm] tall, the single flowered inflorescence with small flowers, the sepals .348 to .48" [8.7 to 12.0 mm]long, the lip cordiform-sub-orbicular, and the column .156 to .24" [3.9 to 6.0 mm] long. Epidendrum schlechterianum Ames, has a two-flowered inflorescence with relatively long, greenish purple to olive green flowers tinged with red, the oblong-lanceolate, .68 to .8" [17 to 20 mm] long sepals, cordate-reniform, a minutely apiculate lip, and the column .4 to .56" [10 to 14 mm] long with the anther elongate, subacute and apically fimbriate. Epidendrum uleinanodes (Syn.= E. schizoclinandrium, D.E.Benn. & Christenson), widespread from the upper Amazon basin the Guianas and the base of the Andes, has compact plants to 2.8" [7 cm] tall, usually 2 to rarely 4, simultaneous flowers, sepals .5 to .56" [12.5 to 14 mm] long, the column with a pair of large, rounded wings on the sides, and a prominently fimbriate clinandrium-hood with the anther fimbriate at the rostrate apex. E. congestum Rolfe, has taller compact plants to @' [5 cm] tall, with compact plants, 2 to 3 simultaneous flowers, and the lip cordiform with the apex acute, and the anther widely ovoid and apically truncate, the margin somewhat dentate. E. congestoides Ames & e. Schweinf. also has plants to 1.6" [4 cm] tall, and a 2-flowered inflorescence, but the flowers are smaller, green to reddish green, the lip reniform-semi-orbicular, somewhat embracing the short column .18 to .264" [4.5 to 6.6 mm] long in natural position, and the anther is short, the margin fimbriate. Epidendrum riverae Hágsater, from the Urabá region in northern Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago, is similar, also having short stems and single flowers but the lip is much wider than long, widely cordiform, apex truncate, abruptly apiculate, the clinandrium-hood is bifid, margin fimbriate, and the anther long ovoid ending in a long, fimbriate appendage." Hagsater etal 2021
Other species in this group such as E. gonzalez-tamayoi Hágsater and Epidendrum medusae (Rchb. f.) Pfitzer have much larger flowers with a prominent fimbriate lip. Epidendrum oxynanodes Hágsater has larger flowers, the sepals being some .8" [2 cm] long, but distinguished by the long acuminate sepals and petals, and the column not winged, the clinandrium entire.
Synonyms Epidendrum schlechterianum var. longirepens C. Schweinf. 1943
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Peru Vol 2 Fieldiana Schweinfurth 1959; Icones Orchidacearum 3 Plate 363 Hagsater 1999 see recognition section as gonzales-tamayoii; Icones Orchidaceaerum 3 Plate 392 Hagsater & Sanchez 1999 see recognition section; Las Orquideas del Peru Izerskyy & Bezverhov 2011 photo fide; Miniature Orchids, A Compendium Parsons and Gerritson 2013; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 Photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 17(1) Plate 1751 Hagsater & Jimenez 2019 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 18(2) Plate 1879 Hagsater & Jimenez 2021 LCDP Photo/drawing/photo fide
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
