BOTANICAL MUSEUM LEAFLETS 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
CamBrRIDGE, Massacnuserts, May 12, 1984 VoL. 2, No. 4 
THREE POLYMORPHIC ALLIANCES 
IN KPIDENDRUM 
BY 
Oakes Aves, F. Tracy HuspBarb 
AND CHARLES SCHWEINFURTH 
IN PREPARING a key to the Continental North Amer- 
ican species of Epidendrum, several alliances showing 
wide variations in form and character have been variously 
interpreted as species and as synonyms. Among these 
alliances are Mpidendrum ramosum Jaeq., I. difforme 
Jacq. and H.paniculatum Ruiz & Pav. 
EPIpDENDRUM RAMOSUM ALLIANCE 
Given a limited number of specimens representing 
the extremes of the different variants, one would at once 
determine them as species, but a careful study of a large 
amount of material has led us to believe that all the 
variations are referable to one polymorphic species com- 
prising a typical form and two groups which vary con- 
sistently enough to be recognized as varieties. 
The typical form of Mpidendrum ramosum as de- 
scribed by Jacquin and as illustrated by him (a fragment 
of the end of a branch only) is a rather strict plant with 
laxly 4-to 5-flowered racemes and ligulate leaves which 
are 2-5 em. long and 4-8 mm. wide. ‘This represents one 
of the smaller-tflowered forms of the alliance. ‘Transitions 
from this through the more s!ender, more flexuous, fewer- 
flowered torm described as I’. flevicaule Schitr. to the 
ar] 
