Epidendrum miserrimum

Epidendrum miserrimum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Epidendreae
Subtribe: Laeliinae
Genus: Epidendrum
Subgenus: E. subg. Amphiglottium
Section: E. sect. Holochila
Species: E. miserrimum
Binomial name
Epidendrum miserrimum
Rchb.f.
Synonyms

Jacquiniella miserrima (Rchb.f.) Stehlé
Epidendrum poaeforme Schltr.[1]
Epidendrum poiforme Schltr.[2]
Microepidendrum miserrimum (Rchb.f.) Brieger[3]

Epidendrum miserrimum ("the most miserable Epidendrum") is a small sympodial epiphytic orchid native to northern South America, the West Indies and Central America at altitudes as low as 0.7 km and as high as 1.2 km.

Description

Reichenbach describes E. miserrimum as poorer than E. carinatum.[4] The weedy stems grow to 10 cm tall and are surrounded by imbricating foliaceous sheathes. The acute, lanceolate leaves grow up to 5 cm long. The few flowered racemose inflorescence grows from the apex of the stem, and is covered with imbricating sheathes. The floral bract is longer than the tiny, green flowers. The sepals are 4 mm long and do not open fully; the linear petals are 3 mm long. The 3 mm long lip, pointed at the end, features two rotund shoulders, nearly 1 mm broad, rolled into a nearly complete tube in front of the column apex (Dodson & Dodson 1989 describe the lip as trilobate). The anther bears four pollinia.

References

  1. ↑ C. H. & P. M. Dodson "EPIDENDRUM MISERRIMUM Rchb.f." Plate 0475 of Icones Plantrum Tropicarum, Series II Orchids of Ecuador Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. 1989
  2. ↑ http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/synonomy.do?accepted_id=68961&repSynonym_id=-9998&name_id=68961&status=true
  3. ↑ W. E. Higgins "Validation of Microepidendrum (Orchidaceae:Laeliinae)", Acta Botanica Mexicana (2002) 60 19-24
  4. ↑ "Pone E. carinatum (L. F. 191) tenuiculum" and again "Caules tenuiculi ramosuli subflexuosi", H. G. Reichenbach "Orchides" item 243 in C. Müller, Ed. Walpers Annales Botanices Systematicae, Tomus VI p. 381. Berlin. 1861

External links

A picture may be found at The Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia.

External identifiers for Epidendrum miserrimum
ITIS 512901
NCBI 493980
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