Epidendrum miserrimum
Encyclopedia
Epidendrum miserrimum ("the most miserable Epidendrum") is a small sympodial
epiphytic
orchid
native to northern South America
, the West Indies and Central America
at altitudes as low as 0.7 km and as high as 1.2 km.
inflorescence
grows from the apex of the stem, and is covered with imbricating sheathes. The floral bract is longer than the tiny, green flowers. The sepals are 4 mm long and do not open fully; the linear petals are 3 mm long. The 3 mm long lip, pointed at the end, features two rotund shoulders, nearly 1 mm broad, rolled into a nearly complete tube in front of the column
apex (Dodson & Dodson 1989 describe the lip as trilobate). The anther bears four pollinia.
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:...
epiphytic
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...
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,...
native to northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, the West Indies and 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...
at altitudes as low as 0.7 km and as high as 1.2 km.
Description
Reichenbach describes E. miserrimum as poorer than E. carinatum. The weedy stems grow to 10 cm tall and are surrounded by imbricating foliaceous sheathes. The acute, lanceolate leaves grow up to 5 cm long. The few flowered racemoseRaceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
inflorescence
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. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
grows from the apex of the stem, and is covered with imbricating sheathes. The floral bract is longer than the tiny, green flowers. The sepals are 4 mm long and do not open fully; the linear petals are 3 mm long. The 3 mm long lip, pointed at the end, features two rotund shoulders, nearly 1 mm broad, rolled into a nearly complete tube in front of 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....
apex (Dodson & Dodson 1989 describe the lip as trilobate). The anther bears four pollinia.