''Epidendrum rigidum'' is an

epiphytic 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 ...

reed-stemmed ''

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 ...

common throughout the Neotroical lowlands, below . (The Fora of North America recognizes a distinct species, ''E. cardiophorum''

Schltr. Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter (16 October 1872 – 16 November 1925) was a German taxonomist, botanist, and author of several works on orchids. He went on botanical expeditions in Africa, Indonesia, New Guinea, South and Central America a ...

, which replaces ''E. rigidum'' in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

; Kew lists ''E. cardiophorum''

as a synonym for ''E. rigidum''.)

Description

''E. rigidum'' has been placed in the subgenus ''E''. subg ''Epidendrum''

Lindl. John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

(1841) because its sympodial stems do not thicken to form pseudobulbs, its stems are covered by the basal sheaths of its distichous leaves, and its peduncle emerges from the apical leaf without being covered by any bract or sheath. The basal parts of the stems unite to form a creeping

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

; the upper parts grow to long and can assume erect, horizontal, or hanging postures. The lathery ovate-oblong obtuse leaves are long and apically bilobed. As with other members of ''E''. subsect. ''Spathacea''

Rchb.f. Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (Dresden, 3 January 1823 – Hamburg, 6 May 1889) was a botanist and the foremost German orchidologist of the 19th century. His father Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (author of ''Icones Florae Germanicae et Helve ...

1861, the

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 bears enlarged spathaceous floral bracts. The green, non-resupinate, fleshy flowers are partially covered by the large, dolabriform bracts. The ovate obtuse sepals are long, with the lateral sepals larger than the dorsal sepal. The linear petals are also long. As with other members of the genus ''

'', 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 A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

to its apex. The lip is heart-shaped where it diverges from the column, ovate, and obtuse at the apex. The

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

number of ''E. rigidum'' has been determined as 2''n'' = 40.page 252. Leonardo P. Felix and Marcelo Guerra: "Variation in chromosome number and the basic number of subfamily Epidendroideae (Orchidaceae)" ''Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society'' 163(2010)234-278, The Linnean Society of London

Homonymy

* ''Epidendrum rigidum'' Lodd. 1829 ''

nom. illeg. ''Nomen illegitimum'' (Latin for illegitimate name) is a technical term, used mainly in botany. It is usually abbreviated as ''nom. illeg.'' Although the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants uses Latin terms for other k ...

'' is a synonym for '' E. ramosum''

Jacq. Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin (16 February 172726 October 1817) was a scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany. Biography Born in Leiden in the Netherlands, he studied medicine at Leiden University, then moved first to Par ...

1760 * ''Epidendrum rigidum'' var. ''angustisegmentum'' L.O.Williams 1946 is a synonym for '' E. angustisegmentum ( L.O.Williams) Hágsater 1999

References

External links

* * * A photograph of the flowers may be found a
The Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia
* Photographs of the flowering plant and leaves may be found at http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/vinales/eng/epidendrum_rigidum.htm * http://titanarum.uconn.edu/199100202.html rigidum Orchids of Florida Orchids of Belize Orchids of Central America Taxa named by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Laeliinae-stub