About Epidendrum frutex Rchb.f.
Epidendrum frutex Rchb.f., published in 1855, is closely related to Epidendrum frigidum Lind., which was also published in 1855. This species grows terrestrially in open sphagnum uplands. It is a tall sympodial plant, reaching heights between 0.75 meters and 5 meters. As is typical for members of Epidendrum subgenus Epidendrum, its stems are covered from the base by distichous, tubular leaf-bearing sheaths. Its narrow leathery leaves can grow to more than 2 decimeters in length. The terminal inflorescence is a distichous (not secund) compound panicle that bears numerous small, fleshy flowers, which range in color from yellow to green to brown. Its triangular sepals are no longer than 6 millimeters, and its linear petals are slightly shorter than the sepals. The lip is adnate to the column all the way to the column’s apex; it is heart-shaped where it diverges from the column, broader than it is long, and not divided into lobes. A single linear keel runs down the center of the lip. This large Epidendrum species is most notable for producing seed capsules that are more than ten times the size of its flowers.
