''Epidendrum cristatum''Ruiz & Pav. (1789) (the "comb ''Epidendrum''") is a species of orchid in the genus '' Epidendrum'' which is known to grow both terrestrially and

epiphytically 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 ...

at altitudes near 1 km in the Neotropics from Mexico and Belize down through Brazil, as well as Trinidad.

Description

''Epidendrum cristaum'' is an unusually large reed-stemmed ''Epidendrum'', growing up to 8 m tall. As with other members of the subgenus ''E''. subg. ''Spathium'', the stems of ''E. cristatum'' are un-swollen and covered by close, tubular sheathes which bear distichous, somewhat leathery, lanceolate leaves (up to 3 cm long by 4 cm wide) on the upper part of the stem. The terminal

paniculate A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

inflorescence grows through several enlarged spathes, arranged in a fan, which cover the

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

. The yellow-green flowers often have purple-brown markings. The oblong convex obtuse sepals can grow up to 2.8 cm long, slightly longer than the linear petals. The lip 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 with a shape that resembles a comb. 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 number of ''E. cristatum'' has been determined as 2''n'' = 40, the

haploid 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 number as ''n'' = 20.page 251 of 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. downloaded October 2010 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2010.01059.x/pdf

Synonymy and homonymy

The synonym ''Epidendrum tigrinum'' Sessé & Moç. (1894) is a homonym of '' Epidendrum tigrinum'' Linden ex Lindl. (1846), which has been renamed ''Prosthechea tigrina''.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5382753 cristatum Orchids of Central America Orchids of Belize Orchids of Brazil Orchids of Mexico Orchids of Trinidad