Epidendrum montisillinicense Hágsater & Dodson 2004 GROUP Mancum SUBGROUP Mancum

TYPE Drawing by © Jimenez and The AMO Herbaria Website

LATE

Common Name The Mount Illiniza Epidendrum [A Mountain in north central Ecuador where the type was collected]

Flower Size .4” [1 cm]

Found in Pichincha province of Ecuador at elevations of 2800 to 3000 meters as a small sized, cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, straight, ancipitose stems carrying 3 to 5, all along the apical half of the stem, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, unequally bilobed, dorsal keel leaves that blooms in the late fall through summer on a terminal, racemose, erect, peduncle short, terete to laterally compressed, straight, mostly enveloped by the tubular, oblong, ancipitose, subacute spathe, successively 8 to 15 flowered inflorescence with half the length of the ovary to obsolete, triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying non-resupinate flowers with the sepals and petals purple, rarely greenish white, with the base and the apex green, the lip is white with red spots on the calli and the column is white with small red apical spots.

"This species belongs to the GROUP Mancum SUBGROUP Mancum , which is characterized by the sympodial growth, narrow spathaceous bracts with parallel sides, erect raceme with non-resupinate flowers and a generally reduced, fleshy lip. The species has small plants, 5.6 to 8.8" [14 to 22 cm] tall, lateral compressed stems, small inflorescence, 2.8 to 3.6" [7 to 9 cm] long, flowers with sepals and petals purple, rarely greenish-white with base and apex green, lip white with red speck at the calli, column white with small red specks, petals spathulate with an entire margin, lip with subquadrate lobes, the laterals with a dentate apical margin, anther deltoid. Epidendrum boylei has shorter plants, 3.2 to 4" [8 to 10 cm] tall, smaller inflorescence, 2.4" [6 cm] long, with 4 flowers, sepals and petals brown and a creamy white lip, lateral lobes of the lip subrhombic, rounded, midlobe semicircular, apiculate. Epidendrum brachyglossum Lindl. has a longer inflorescence, 4.8 to 8" [12 to 20 cm] long, sepals and petals greenish yellow with white lip, petals linear, lip suborbicular lateral lobes, entire, rectangular midlobe and reniform anther." Hagsaer etal 2004

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; * Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 763 Hagsater & Dodson 2004 drawing fide; Orquideas, Tesoro de Colombia Vol 2 Ortiz & Uribe 2017 as E aff montisillinicense photo good; Icones Orchidacearum 16[2] Plate 1680 Hagsater & Sanchez 2018 see recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum 16(1) plate 1685 Hagsater etal 2018 in recognition section;

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