About Epidendrum ciliare L.
Epidendrum ciliare L. is a species of orchid, commonly known as the fringed star orchid. One of its synonyms is Coilostylis ciliaris. This species has a wide natural distribution, ranging from Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean, to northern and western South America. It was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1759. In 2004, Withner and Harding proposed transferring the species from the genus Epidendrum to the genus Coilostylis, but this reclassification is not accepted by Plants of the World Online. Studies of multiple individuals of Epidendrum ciliare have found the diploid chromosome number to be 2n = 40, 80, or 160, and the haploid chromosome number to be n = 20. In Puerto Rico, the moth Pseudosphinx tetrio has been observed acting as a pollinator for this orchid.
