Flora of North America species comparison

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Epidendrum magnoliae

Epidendrum

green-fly orchid

star orchid
Habit Plants cespitose, 4.5–38 cm. Herbs, epiphytic, rarely lithophytic, cespitose.
Roots

basal, 3–5 mm diam.

fleshy, glabrous.
Stems

unbranched, straight, terete, 2–5 cm.

erect, repent, or hanging, canelike, simple or branching.
Leaves

2–3, near apex of stem;

petiole to 1.5 cm;

blade narrowly elliptic, 1–9.5 × 0.4–1.3 cm, nearly leathery, apex acute.

alternate;

petiole tubular, sheathing, articulate;

blade ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, fleshy-leathery.
Inflorescences

erect, racemose, 3–26 cm;

peduncle 2–10 cm;

bracts triangular, to 1/2 length of ovary, 12–18 mm, apex acuminate.

terminal [lateral or basal], racemose to nearly corymbose or distichous, producing flowers only once, or during several years from same or new racemes from old axis;

flowers pedicellate or not.
Flowers

6–14, spread along apical 1/2 of inflorescence, resupinate, simultaneous, pale green to bronze-colored;

sepals wide open, narrowly obovate, 5-veined, 6–11 × 2–3 mm, margins revolute, apex obtuse;

petals narrowly oblanceolate, 1-veined, 6–11 × 1–2 mm, apex rounded;

lip base cordate, 3-lobed, middle lobe triangular, apex rounded to slightly notched, 2-callose, with low midrib, 4–6 × 5–7 mm, lateral lobes semiorbiculate;

column 11–12 mm;

clinandrium hood erose, covering anther;

anther ovate, with low keel along front;

ovary 12–18 mm.

resupinate or not, if not then distichous or spirally arranged, simultaneous or successive;

sepals nearly equal;

lip adnate to column throughout, forming nectary tube, tube penetrating ovary, occasionally producing nectar;

column straight or slightly arched;

clinandrium hood partly covering anther;

anther 4-celled;

pollinia 4, obovoid, laterally compressed, nearly equal;

rostellum slit, producing semiliquid viscidium attached to caudicles of pollinarium.
Fruits

capsules, ellipsoid to subglobose, sometimes with pedicel or beak, 3-ribbed, 1-locular.
Capsules

ellipsoid;

pedicel 7–11 mm;

body 14–23;

beak 5 mm.

Epidendrum magnoliae

Epidendrum
Phenology Flowering Jun–Jan, sporadically in fall; fruiting Oct–Jan.
Habitat Evergreen and deciduous woodlands
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; Mexico (Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
from USDA
Tropical regions; Western Hemisphere
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The flowers of Epidendrum magnoliae produce a sweet-oily fragrance, especially at night.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species over 1000 (7 in the flora).

Outside the flora area Epidendrum is highly varied (E. Hágsater 1984), sometimes producing pseudobulbs or thickened stems, semiterete to membranaceous leaf blades, and apical, lateral, or basal, racemose to nearly corymbose to paniculate inflorescences. The lip of the flower is adnate to the column, forming a nectary tube, but it rarely produces nectar. The lip is exceptionally distinct and free. The rostellum is always slit, producing a transparent or whitish semiliquid viscidium. The pollinarium usually has 4 pollinia, sometimes with 2 very reduced, rarely with only 2.

The Florida species were segregated into 2 genera, Amphiglottis and Spathiger (J. K. Small 1933). Later authors have recognized only Epidendrum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Plants creeping or hanging, ± branching; inflorescences distichous.
→ 2
1. Plants cespitose, aerial stems erect, unbranched; inflorescences nearly racemose or nearly corymbose.
→ 4
2. Plants hanging, main stem greater than 40 cm; inflorescences distichous-imbricate; sepals greater than 12 mm.
E. acunae
2. Plants creeping, main stem less than 20 cm; inflorescences distichous-elongate or distichous-imbricate; sepals less than 8 mm.
→ 3
3. Inflorescences distichous-elongate, equal to or greater than 5 cm; flowers mostly more than 5, sepals 5 mm.
E. rigidum
3. Inflorescences distichous-imbricate, less than 3 cm; flowers usually 3, sepals 3 mm.
E. strobiliferum
4. Inflorescences 3–50 cm (excluding flowers), racemose or compound racemose; sepals 5–11 mm.
→ 5
4. Inflorescences less than 3 cm (excluding flowers), nearly corymbose; sepals equal to or greater than 12 mm.
→ 6
5. Inflorescences racemose; flowers spread out along apical 1/2 of inflorescence; sepals 6–11 mm.
E. magnoliae
5. Inflorescences racemose, compound racemose with time; flowers in compact short racemes at end or from nodes of long peduncle; sepals 5.5–7.5 mm.
E. amphistomum
6. Sepals 60 mm; flowers yellowish and white, flowering successively, 1–2 at a time.
E. nocturnum
6. Sepals 12–15 mm; flowers green, flowering simultaneously, 4–14.
E. floridense
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 611. FNA vol. 26, p. 609. Author: Eric Hágsater.
Parent taxa Orchidaceae > subfam. Epidendroideae > tribe Epidendreae > subtribe Laeliinae > Epidendrum Orchidaceae > subfam. Epidendroideae > tribe Epidendreae > subtribe Laeliinae
Sibling taxa
E. acunae, E. amphistomum, E. floridense, E. nocturnum, E. rigidum, E. strobiliferum
Subordinate taxa
E. acunae, E. amphistomum, E. floridense, E. magnoliae, E. nocturnum, E. rigidum, E. strobiliferum
Synonyms Amphiglottis conopsea, E. conopseum, Larnandra conopsea, Larnandra magnoliae Amphiglottis, Larnandra, Nyctosma, Spathiger, Tritelandra
Name authority Muhlenberg: Cat. Pl. Amer. Sept., 81. (1813) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1246. (1759)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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