Epidendrum radioferens [Ames,F.T.Hubb.& C.Schweinf.]Hagsater 1977 GROUP Arbusculum Photo courtesy of Patricia Harding
Flower Closeup Photos by © Eric Hunt and His Orchid Website
EARLY 
Common Name The Rayed Lip Epidendrum
Flower Size 1.4" [3.5 cm]
A large to giant sized, cool to warm growing reedstem epiphyte or lithophyte from Chiapas state of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras in seasonally dry oak forests to evergreen cloud forests at elevations of 1350 to 2300 meters with terete, ascending, 8 noded, reed-like stems that arise from a node at the middle of the previous stem with adventitious roots and carrying2 to 6, clustered at the apex, elliptic, obtuse, subcoriaceous, dark green sufffused with purple leaves articulate to the finely striated, scarious-fibrous sheaths that blooms on a terminal, arching to hanging, 2.8 to 4" [7 to 10 cm] long, flowers only once, 5 to 30 successively flowered umbelliform inflorescence occuring in the winter through early summer and carrying slightly fragrant flowers.
PArt of the E arbuscula group distinguished by greenish brown to purple brown tepals and the yellowish lip with 3 protruding central keels and the others radiating to the sides.
Synonyms *Epidendrum arbuscula var. radioferens Ames, F.T. Hubb. & C. Schweinf. 1935
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Icones Orchidacearum fascile 10 plate 1023 Hagsater & Soto 2008; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1129 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 see Recognition section; Icones Orchidacearum Vol 11 Plate 1186 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 see Recognition section
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
