Epidendrum anceps Jacq.
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
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Family
Orchidaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
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Species Description - Epiphytic or epilithic herb to 80 cm tall; roots white, numerous from base of stems and short rhizomes, fleshy, 1.5-2.5 mm thick; stems slender, generally unbranched, compressed, covered by flattened leaf sheaths, to 8 d m long but generally much smaller. Leaves several to many, distichous; blades thin, flexible, deciduous on lower portions of stem, 4-12 cm long, 8-25 mm wide. Flowers olive-brown, several to many, resupinate on terminal or lateral, pendent subumbels; peduncles spreading to pendent, to 50 cm long; floral bracts inconspicuous, ca. 3 mm long. Dorsal sepal entire, elliptic-obovate, obtuse, 5-8 x 3-4 mm; lateral sepals entire, oblique, slightly broader; petals narrowly linear-oblanceolate, 5-7 X 1 mm; lip trilobed, cordate, attached to the entire length of the column, lateral lobes broad, rounded, middle lobe subquadrate, retuse with a fleshy midrib, free portion of lip 3-5 x 3-5 mm; column straight dorsally, sigmoid-arched ventrally, clavate, 4-5.5 mm long; pollinia 4, yellow; pedicellate ovary slender, 9-11 mm long. Fruit green, ellipsoidal, ca. 1.5 cm long.
Distribution and Ecology - Rare on trees in moist montane forests. Bordeaux Mountain (Ray & Gibney s.n.). Also on St. Thomas and Virgin Gorda; Florida, Mexico to South America including the West Indies.