''Epidendrum cornutum'' is the accepted name for a species of ''
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 ...
'' native to
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
at altitudes of 2.4–3 km.
The stem of this
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 ...
is covered by close, tubular sheathes which bear bamboo-like (lnarrow, linear-lanceolate, very acute, with a cuneate sessile base) leaves on the upper part of the stem. The foot-long terminal inflorescence emerges from 1—3 large sheathes which completely cover the
peduncle, and ends in a densely flowered
raceme
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 ...
of fragrant, fleshy, flowers with filiform petals and a deeply three-lobed
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 ...
with slightly denticulate margins.
[Lindley, ''J. Bot. (Hooker)'' 3:86 (1841)] The flower color can be white, light yellow, light green, or tan.
Homonymy
The identity of this taxon has been confused by the publication, in 1894, of a description of ''
Stanhopea oculata
''Stanhopea oculata'' is a species of orchid occurring from Mexico to Colombia and southeastern Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and ...
'' (first described in 1832) under the name ''Epidendrum cornutum''.
References
cornutum
Orchids of Colombia
Orchids of Ecuador
Orchids of Peru
Orchids of Venezuela
{{Laeliinae-stub