Epidendrum compressum
Encyclopedia
Epidendrum compressum ("compressed upon a tree") is a species of orchid in the genus Epidendrum
.
& Stephan Endlicher published the first description of this orchid in 1836, and called it Epidendrum laxum. However, because this name had already been used by Olof Swartz in 1788 to describe a very different orchid, now known as Pleurothallis laxa, Epidendrum laxum Poepp. & Endl. (1836) became a nomen illegitimum
. It was under this illegitimate name that Reichenbach, in 1861, classified E. compressum into his section Polycladia of Lindley
's subgenus Amphiglotium of the genus Epidendrum.
In 1864, August Grisebach
published a description of the species Epidendrum compressum, the binomial
now accepted by Kew.
in Peru
vian forests east of the crest of the Andes
and flowers in February. The sympodial
plant produces stems more than 3 dm tall, each of which seldom bears more than three acute, oblong-lanceolate leaves. The elongate terminal multi-flowered panicle grows 3 dm long or longer. The small pale green flowers have nearly equal-sized, erect, sharply pointed lanceolate sepals. By placing "Epidendrum Laxum" in Amphiglotium, Reichenbach was stating that the base (at least) of the inflorescence was covered by thin, imbricate sheaths.
Dodson and Bennett describe an E. compressum from Pasco
, Peru
, and state that the perianth
segments as brown, the lip
darker than the rest. The sepals are lanceolate, the petals are linear,and the lip is deeply trilobate, with the central lobe curved backward and the side lobes curved inward. The illustration in Dodson and Bennett shows a single stem, ~ 0.5 dm tall, bearing seven leaves and terminating in a two-flowered inflorescence of the same length. The inflorescence in the illustration carries some spathes, but emerges naked from the leaf-bearing part of the stem, and is not covered by imbricate sheaths.
Epidendrum
Epidendrum , abbreviated Epi in horticultural trade, is a large neotropical genus of the orchid family. With more than 1,100 species, some authors describe it as a mega-genus. The genus name refers to its epiphytic growth habit...
.
Nomenclatural History
Eduard Friedrich PoeppigEduard Friedrich Poeppig
Eduard Friedrich Poeppig was a German botanist, zoologist and explorer.-Biography:He was born in Plauen, Saxony. He studied medicine and natural history at the University of Leipzig, graduating with a medical degree. On graduation, the rector of the university gave him a botanical mission to North...
& Stephan Endlicher published the first description of this orchid in 1836, and called it Epidendrum laxum. However, because this name had already been used by Olof Swartz in 1788 to describe a very different orchid, now known as Pleurothallis laxa, Epidendrum laxum Poepp. & Endl. (1836) became a nomen illegitimum
Nomen illegitimum
A nomen illegitimum is a technical term, used mainly in botany. It is usually abbreviated as nom. illeg..-Definition:...
. It was under this illegitimate name that Reichenbach, in 1861, classified E. compressum into his section Polycladia of Lindley
Lindley
-Place names:*Lindley, Free State, a town in South Africa*Lindley, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa*Lindley, New York, a town in the United States*Lindley, North Yorkshire, England*Lindley, West Yorkshire, a suburb of Huddersfield, England...
's subgenus Amphiglotium of the genus Epidendrum.
In 1864, August Grisebach
August Grisebach
August Heinrich Rudolf Grisebach was a German botanist and phytogeographer. Born in Hannover on April 17, 1814, he died at Göttingen on May 9, 1879.- Biography :...
published a description of the species Epidendrum compressum, the binomial
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
now accepted by Kew.
Description
According to Poeppig, E. compressum grows epiphyticallyEpiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian forests east of the crest of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
and flowers in February. The sympodial
Sympodial
Sympodial means "with conjoined feet", and in biology is often used to refer to the outward morphology or mode of growth of organisms.-In botany:...
plant produces stems more than 3 dm tall, each of which seldom bears more than three acute, oblong-lanceolate leaves. The elongate terminal multi-flowered panicle grows 3 dm long or longer. The small pale green flowers have nearly equal-sized, erect, sharply pointed lanceolate sepals. By placing "Epidendrum Laxum" in Amphiglotium, Reichenbach was stating that the base (at least) of the inflorescence was covered by thin, imbricate sheaths.
Dodson and Bennett describe an E. compressum from Pasco
Pasco Region
Pasco is a region in central Peru. Its capital is Cerro de Pasco.-Political division:The region is divided into 3 provinces , which are composed of 28 districts .-Provinces:...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and state that the perianth
Perianth
The term perianth has two similar but separate meanings in botany:* In flowering plants, the perianth are the outer, sterile whorls of a flower...
segments as brown, the lip
Labellum
Labellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...
darker than the rest. The sepals are lanceolate, the petals are linear,and the lip is deeply trilobate, with the central lobe curved backward and the side lobes curved inward. The illustration in Dodson and Bennett shows a single stem, ~ 0.5 dm tall, bearing seven leaves and terminating in a two-flowered inflorescence of the same length. The inflorescence in the illustration carries some spathes, but emerges naked from the leaf-bearing part of the stem, and is not covered by imbricate sheaths.