Epidendrum coriifolium is a 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:...

 orchid

Orchidaceae

The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...

 which grows both terrestrially and epiphytically

Epiphyte

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...

 at altitudes of 1.4—1.7 km in dense forests in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

, and Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

.

Description

E. coriifolium impressed early taxonomists by being glazed over with a shining exudation. A member of E. subg. Epidendrum

Epidendrum subg. Epidendrum

The subgenus Epidendrum subg. Epidendrum was published as "Euepidendrum" in 1841 with the diagnosis "Caulis foliosus. Pedunculus brevis esquamatus...

, this species has stems that do not swell into pseudobulbs, close imbricating sheathes covering the stems from the base to the last regular leaf, terminal inflorescences which emerge from the last regular leaf without being covered by any sheath or spathe, and a 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:...

 which is adnate

Adnation

Adnation in plants is the "union of unlike parts; organically united or fused with another dissimilar part, e.g. an ovary to a calyx tube, or stamens to petals". This is in contrast to connation, the fusion of similar organs....

 to the column

Column (botany)

The column, or technically the gynostemium, is a reproductive structure that can be found in several plant families: Aristolochiaceae, Orchidaceae, and Stylidiaceae....

 to its apex. The 2-5 distichous, leathery to fleshy leaves are concave and carinate, to 3 dm long by a half dm wide. The inflorescence, up to 3 dm. long, bears large, distichous, leathery foliar bracts that are longer than the ovaries. The fleshy flowers are variable in color — cream to green to purple-brown or mahogany, often showing purple nerves on the sepals and brownish blushes around the margins of the green lip. The 1-3 cm long sepals are lanceolate, the dorsal oblong or eliptic, the laterals obliquely ovate, broader than the dorsal, and bearing a toothed keel on the back. The linear petals are slightly shorter than the sepals. The cordate to reniform lip has an elevated callosity down the middle, which extends int a blunt apicule in the retuse end of the lip.

Lindley compared E. coriifolium to E. rigidum Jacq (1760) not Lodd. (1829)

Epidendrum rigidum

Epidendrum rigidum is an epiphytic reed-stemmed Epidendrum orchid common throughout the Neotroical lowlands, below 600 m. Epidendrum rigidum is an epiphytic reed-stemmed Epidendrum orchid common throughout the Neotroical lowlands, below 600 m. Epidendrum rigidum is an epiphytic...

, noting that E. coriifolium flowers are 3—4 times bigger, and the leaves are longer and narrower (reported in Reichenbach, 1861).

Homonymy

Epidendrum allochronum Hágsater (1993) was originally described by Schlechter in 1922 as the variety purpurascens of Epidendrum coriifolium.

External links

Pictures:

• http://www.orchidspecies.com/epicoriifolium.htm
• http://www.abundaflora.com/epi_coriifolium.htm
• http://www.orchidphotos.org/images/SFOSFeb09/large-6.html
• http://www.flickriver.com/photos/jvinoz/2601936169/