''Epidendrum coronatum'' is a reed-stemmed epiphytic ''
Epidendrum
''Epidendrum'' , abbreviated Epi in the horticultural trade, is a large neotropical genus of the orchid family. With more than 1,500 species, some authors describe it as a mega-genus. The genus name (from Greek ''επί, epi'' and ''δένδρο ...
''
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
that grows wild in the
Neotropics
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropics, tropical Ecoregion#Terrestrial, terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperat ...
at medium to low altitudes.
Description
''E. coronatum'' is a sympodial
epiphyte
An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
that produces slightly thickened stems up to 70 cm long, covered by the basal sheaths of the fleshy, alternate, ovate-lanceolate leaves, which grow up to 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide.
[C. Dodson & R. Vásquez "Epidendrum Coronatum R. & P.", Plate 0392 of ''Icones Plantarum Tropicarum, Series II Orchids of Bolivia'' Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. 1989.] The arching apical
racemose
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
has small sheaths at its base, and carries many waxy-textured, green to cream colored flowers. The dorsal sepal, at 20 mm long, is slightly longer than the lateral sepals and the petals, which measure 18 mm. The
lip
The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...
is adnate to the column to its apex, and convex beyond the column. Ruiz and Pavon describe the lip as trilobate, with the medial lobe carrying two smaller divisions; Dodson and Vásquez use the term "4-lobed" to include the divergent processes of the medial lobe.
References
External links
* A picture may be found a
The Internet Orchid Photo Encyclopedia* A picture of the type specimen may be found a
Epidendra
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5382752
coronatum