Epidendrum peperomia Rchb. f. 1876 GROUP Porpax Photo courtesy of Patricia Harding

Close up view of plant and flowers Photo courtesy of Eric Hunt, plant grown by Hanging Gardens.

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Common Name The Peperomia-Like Epidendrum

Flower Size 3/4" to 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in Colombia and Venezuela in pine and oak forests at altitudes of 600 to 2700 meters as a dwarf, epiphytic, warm to cool growing, reedstem herb which forms large mats of clustered leafy stems carrying coriaceous-fleshy, distichous, oblong, obtuse or emarginate leaves that can bloom at any time with large, one to a few flowers on a terminal inflorescence emerging from between the apical leaves and subtended by bracts. This species has no pseudobulbs, instead it is a stem growing to 3" [8 cm] long with a series of alternating, succulent leaves suffused with purle if given bright light. Can be mounted on treefern or in a suspended pot with a coarse mix to allow the roots to get air. It can then grow out and over the edge of the pot and makes an impressive display when blooming. Grow warm to cool with bright light to partial full sun, ample water while growing and misting through the winter instead of a watering.

Hagsater has separated E porpax and E peperomia and states that the differences are that E peperomia has an orbicular-cordiform lip that is wider than long, has an obtuse apes and is known only from Colombia and Venezuela while E porpax has a reniform to sub-orbicular-subquadrate, slightly convex, apically rounded, shortly emarginate and erose dentate.

Synonyms Epidendrum gnomus Schlechter 1921; Epidendrum lambeauanum De Wild. 1904; Epidendrum matthewsii Rchb.f 1876; Epidendrum porpax Rchb.f 1855; Nanodes gnomus (Schltr.) Brieger 1977; Nanodes matthewsii [Rchb.f] Rolfe 1892; Neolehmannia mathewsii (Rchb. f.) Garay 1977; Neolehmannia peperomia (Rchb. f.) Garay & Dunst. 1976;

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1855 as E porpax; Xenia Orchidaceae Vol 3 Reichenbach 1878; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Epidendrum porpax; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 17: 36. Panama Schlechter 1922 as E porpax; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 17: 36. Panama Schlechter 1922 as E porphyrophyllum; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 216. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923 as E porpax; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 296. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923 as E parpax; Beitrage Zur Orchideenkunde Von Colombia 27:170 Schlechter 1924; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1959 as Epidendrum porpax; AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 5 1961; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970; Die Orchideen #8 29-32 tafel 8 Rudolph Schlechter 1971 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 12 No 1 1977 photo as Neolehmannia peperomia; Orchids of Venezuela ; An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as Neolehmannia peperomia drawing fide; Orchids of Venezuela ; An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as Neolehmannia porpax drawing ok; Orchid Digest Vol 46 No 4 1982 photo fide as Epidendrum porpax; AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 1 1983 photo; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum plate 883 Dodson 1983 as Neolehmannia porpax drawing fide; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Series II Orchids of Bolivia plate 0332 Dodson & Vasquez 1989 drawing fide; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 2 COS 1991 as E porpax photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 658 Bennett & Christenson 2001 see recognition section; Native Ecuadorian Orchids Vol 2 Dodson 2002 as E matthewsii; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 11 2003 photo; Orchids of Bolivia Vol 2 Laelinae Vasquez and Ibisch 2004; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 739 Hagsater & Sanchez 2004 see recognition section as E gnomus; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 739 Hagsater & Sanchez 2004 see recognition section as E matthewsiiAOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 3 2005 photo; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005 as Epidendrum porpax; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 11 2008; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1128 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 as E gnomus; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 as E porpax photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 13 Plate 1375 Hagsater & Sanchez 2010 drawing fide; Las Orquideas del Peru Izerskyy & Bezverhov 2011 as E mathewsiiphoto fide

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