Epidendrum forcipatum C.Schweinf., Fieldiana (Bot.) 33: 36. 1970.

Arista, Jessy Patricia, Hagsater, Eric, Santiago, Elizabeth, Edquen, Jose D., Pariente, Eli, Oliva, Manuel & Salazar, Gerardo A., 2023, New and noteworthy species of the genus Epidendrum (Orchidaceae, Laeliinae) from the Area de Conservacion Privada La Pampa del Burro, Amazonas, Peru, PhytoKeys 227, pp. 43-87 : 43

Epidendrum forcipatum C.Schweinf., Fieldiana (Bot.) 33: 36. 1970.

Fig. 7

Type material.

Peru. Sine loc., pressed 24 Jul. 1959, F. Woytkowski s.n., cultivated at University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley 52.1853-1 (holotype: AMES 69508 HUH00070356!; isotypes: AMES 90057 HUH00070357! MO 1785100!); “clonotypes”: pressed 11 Jul. 1962, UC 229015! pressed 15 Mar. 1963, US 2949871 US00093812! Pressed 1 Jul. 1965, UC 1350745!). Pressed by Paul C. Hutchison, 11 Jan. 1961, at University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley 52.1853, MO 1785407! Pressed 1 Oct. 1963, UC 1350837!

Taxonomic synonym.

Epidendrum pseudoanceps D.E.Benn. & Christenson, Lindleyana 13(1): 46. (1998). Type: Peru. Huánuco: Leoncio Prado, below El Mirador, 1800 m, 10 Aug. 1966, D. E. Bennett Jr. 2333 (holotype: AMES!).

Description.

Epiphytic, sympodial, caespitose, erect herb 47-100[215] cm tall. Roots basal, fleshy. Stem 25-45[65] × 0.47-0.57 cm, cane-like, ancipitose, erect. Leaves 6-8, distributed throughout apical half of stem, sub-erect; sheath 1.1-3.0 × 0.47-0.57 cm, tubular, ancipitose, smooth; blade 6-10 × 2.0-2.4[6.4] cm, oblong to elliptic, apex obtuse, coriaceous, dorsally carinate, erect, alternate, margin entire, spreading, somewhat undulate. Inflorescence 24-65[150] cm long, apical, racemose, flowering repeatedly over several years and producing new racemes from the apical internodes; peduncle 16[34.5] cm long, thin, elongate, ancipitose, totally covered by tubular, acute, bracts, 2-4 cm long; rachis 3.5-4.3[16] cm long, terete, smooth. Floral bracts 3-5 mm long, much shorter than the ovary, triangular, acuminate. Flowers 10-17[30] per raceme, simultaneous, resupinate, yellow-ochre, not fragrant. Sepals 10-12 × 3.3-4.2 mm, free, oblanceolate, slightly concave, subacute, somewhat papillose dorsally toward the apex, 5-veined, fleshy, the dorsal reflexed, the laterals spreading to reflexed, somewhat oblique. Petals [8]10-11 × 0.7-0.8 mm, hanging, free, reflexed, linear, rounded, 1-veined, margin entire, spreading. Lip [7.5]9.0-9.7 × 10.0-11.4 mm, united to column, 3-lobed, base cordate, margin entire, convex; bicallose, calli laminar, smooth, prolonged into rounded keels, with a central keel running down most of mid-lobe; lateral lobes 4.2-4.7 × 5.5-7.6 mm, dolabriform, with 3 short, thickened keels; mid-lobe 4.2-5.0 × 2.8-3.8 mm, sub-rectangular, emarginate. Column 6-8.6 mm long, short, thin, straight, dilated toward apex. Clinandrium hood reduced, entire. Anther ovoid, with a rounded keel in front, 4-celled. Pollinia 4, obovoid, laterally flattened; inner pair somewhat smaller; caudicles granulose, longer than pollinia. Rostellum apical, slit; viscarium semi-liquid. Lateral lobes of stigma less than ¼ length of stigmatic cavity. Cuniculus short, slightly penetrating ovary, somewhat inflated behind stigmatic cavity. Ovary 9.5-10[14] mm long including pedicel, terete, thin, smooth. Capsule not seen.

Additional specimens examined.

Ecuador. Zamora-Chinchipe: Los Encuentros, Cordillera del “Cóndor”, Mirador , hort, Ecuagenera , 8 Mar. 2003, H. Medina sub E. Hágsater 13834 (AMO!) . Peru: Amazonas: Prov. Bongará, Yambrasbamba, Perla de Imaza , Bosque de Piedras , 1682 m, 28 Aug. 2021, Arista et al. 134 (KUELAP!) ; Huánuco: Leoncio Prado, along road above Cueva de Pavas , 1400 m, 10 Nov. 1991, Bennett 5354 (MOL! USM, n.v.) ; Junín: Tarma , 6 III 1967, 1500 m, Bennett 2333 (SEL!) [this specimen has the same collecting number of the type, but a different locality and date; the non-flowering specimen conforms to the species; E. Hágsater, pers. obs.] .

Other records.

Peru. Sine loc., received 01 May 2012, Morón s.n., digital image (AMO!); Junín: Selva Central, received 03 June 2015, Torres Paucar s.n., digital image (AMO!). Pasco: Oxapampa, Huancabamba, P.N. Yanachaga-Chemillén, sector Tunqui-Naciente de la quebrada Muchumayo, 2153 m, 14 Feb. 1009, R. Vásquez et al. " 35300 (USM!) ". San Martín: Moyobamba: Quebrada Doncel, 3 Feb. 2021, Bazan 01, digital images (AMO!)

Distribution.

Known only from the Amazon side of the Andes from southern Ecuador (Cordillera del Cóndor, Zamora-Chinchipe) and northern and central Peru, at 1500-1800 m.

Habitat and ecology.

Epiphytic, growing on tree trunk in 20-30 m tall lower montane forest, primary sclerophyllous forest, and montane humid forest with Cinchona sp. and Cedrela sp.

Phenology.

Flowering from March to November

Taxonomic notes.

The square brackets in the description indicate the unusually large specimens prepared from cultivated material in the greenhouses of the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, and not seen in wild-collected material. Therefore, they are indicated separately. The original description is based on these measurements.

Epidendrum forcipatum belongs to the Anceps Group and Polyanthum Subgroup, recognized by the caespitose habit, the simple stems, the pluriracemose inflorescence, flowering over several years, the elongate racemes and the fleshy flowers and linear petals. The species is recognized by the generally crisped-undulate leaves, about 10-17[30] flowers, green-ochre in color, and filiform petals. Epidendrum forcipatoides Hágsater from Bahia and Minas Gerais, Brazil attains a smaller size and bears leaves with non-undulate margins and smaller flowers, the obovate sepals being about 6.0-6.5 mm long.

Figures

Figure 7. Epidendrum forcipatum from Arista et al. 134 A habit B flower C dissected perianth D inflorescence E longitudinal section of flower F column and ovary-pedicel from below (left) and side (right) G anther from above (up) and below (down), and pollinarium (Photographs by J. D. Edquen; plate prepared by A. Cisneros).