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Key to epiphytic orchids: Key to Orchidaceae

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Show caption*© Keith Bradley 1 Plant a vine, the main stems long and climbing up the trunks or stems of other woody plants; stems succulent  Vanilla

1 Plant not a vine, instead a cespitose, trailing, rhizomatous, or hanging herb; stems not succulent.

Show caption*© Alan Cressler: Tolumnia bahamensis, Martin County, Florida 2 by Alan Cressler   2 Leaves equitant in a fan-like array; plants growing as a twig-epiphyte primarily on Ceratiola ericoides and perhaps occasionally scrub oaks; [limited to xeric scrub habitat in Martin and Palm Beach counties, FL].

3 Flowers primarily white with yellow, brown, and purple coloration; without dark streaks extending down the middle lobe of the lip.  Tolumnia bahamensis

3 Flowers bright pink to dark purple; with 5 darker purple streaks (the middle partially yellow) extending down the middle lobe of the lip.  Tetramicra elegans

Show caption*© Scott Ward   2 Leaves not equitant or fan-like; plants not twig epiphytes in xeric scrub; [in a wide variety of cypress swamps, mesic hardwood hammocks, sloughs, strands, or otherwise non-xeric, swampy habitats throughout; occasionally in crevices of grit outcrops (e.g. Epidendrum conopseum)].

Show caption*© Scott Ward       4 Plant without pseudobulbs or basally thickened stems, instead only with fleshy, glabrous, fibrous, or chlorophyllous roots

5 Plants with fleshy, glabrous, or fibrous roots, not evidently photosynthetic or velamentous; plants with 1 to many leaves.

6 Stems with numerous alternate, cauline leaves; leaf blades ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, fleshy-leathery  Epidendrum

6 Stems with a single leaf, erect and sessile or subsessile; leaf blades elliptic to oblanceolate, leathery.

7 Inflorescences few flowered racemes (occasionally several-flowered), 0.8-2 cm long; flowers dark red-purple, glabrous, typically congested near apex of inflorescence; stems 1.5-5 (-8) cm long with 4-8 closely appressed, ciliate sheaths; leaf blades < 2.5 cm long.  Lepanthopsis melanantha

7 Inflorescences many-flowered racemes, (6-)10-25 (-28) cm long; flowers pubescent, translucent yellow, often spaced throughout the inflorescence; stems 10-25 cm long with 2-3 loose, inflated sheaths; leaf blades > 10 cm.  Stelis gelida

5 Plants with chlorophyllous roots, evidently photosynthetic, velamentous (with thick spongy root epidermis); plants with leaves absent, early deciduous, or otherwise inconspicuous.

8 Inflorescence a densely arranged, 2-ranked, erect or pendent spike with more than 12 flowers; flowers sessile at the node; floral bracts cordate; spur saccate  Campylocentrum pachyrrhizum

8 Inflorescence a moderate to loosely flowered raceme with 1-10 flowers (less than 12), floral bracts lanceolate; spur arcuate or scrotiform.

Show caption*© Craig Peter, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Craig Peter Show caption*© Keith Bradley                  9 Chlorophyllous roots with prominent white marks; perianth segments (sepals/petals) > 20 mm, white to cream-colored; middle lobe of lip with subquadrangular isthmus, between 2 twisting caudate lobes 45-70 mm long; arcuate spurs to 17 cm long; roots 3-5 mm wide.  Dendrophylax lindenii

Show caption*© Alan Cressler: Harrisella porrecta, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, Collier County, Florida 1 by Alan Cressler                  9 Chlorophyllous roots without white marks; perianth segments (sepals/petals) < 4 mm long; lip ovate, lacking long caudate lobes, pale yellow; scrotiform spurs to 4 mm long; roots < 1 mm wide  Dendrophylax porrectus

4 Plant with pseudobulbs (thickened stems), pseudobulbs sometimes inconspicuous, reduced, or appearing as basally thickened stems.

10 Pseudobulbs inconspicuous or not prominent (stems appearing basally thickened or pseudobulb reduced); reduced pseudobulbs often concealed by longer, scarious, leafy bracts.

Show caption*© Alan Cressler: Trichocentrum undulatum, Cape Sable, Everglades National Park, Monroe County, Florida 1 by Alan Cressler                      11 Plants with a single, solitary, thick (coriaceous) elliptic leaf; flowers with prominent blotches  Trichocentrum

11 Plants with multiple leaves per stem (2-6); leaves linear-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic; flowers without prominent blotches.

12 Inflorescence erect-arching, not strongly secund and not curved upward at apex; flowers lavender or violet to white with dark rose/purple veins extending to distal portions of lip; typically flowering from Mar-Apr, towards the end of the s. FL dry season; leaves 3-13 cm long  Ionopsis utricularioides

Show caption*© Aidan Campos                        12 Inflorescence a strongly secund terminal panicle (a simple raceme in smaller plants), often curved upward apically; flowers yellow-pale green; typically flowering from Aug-Dec., towards the end of the wet season and beginning of the s. FL dry season; leaves 3.5-20 cm long  Polystachya concreta

10 Pseudobulbs conspicuous or prominent, strongly to slightly compressed; ovoid, sub-orbicular, ellipsoid, or fusiform (bilaterally flattened).

Show caption*© Scott Ward                           13 Pseudobulbs (on mature plants) > 30 (-50) cm long  Cyrtopodium punctatum

Show caption*© Scott Ward                           13 Pseudobulbs (on mature plants) < 30 cm long (typically < 15 cm long).

Show caption*© Scott Ward                             14 Inflorescence terminal (arising from the apex of the pseudobulb).

Show caption*© Alan Cressler: Encyclia boothiana var. erythronioides, Lard Can, Hells Bay Canoe Trail, Everglades National Park, Miami-Dade County, Florida 1 by Alan Cressler                               15 Capsules prominently 3-winged  Prosthechea

15 Capsules not prominently 3-winged.

16 Pseudobulbs ovoid-pyriform; 1-3 linear-lanceolate leaves per stem  Encyclia

16 Pseudobulbs ovoid; 1 (rarely 2) oblong-ovate leaf per stem  Laelia rubescens

Show caption*© Scott Ward; inflorescence arising from pseudobulb base                             14 Inflorescence basal (arising from the base of the pseudobulb).

Show caption*© Roger L. Hammer                                   17 Inflorescence a spike with 12-28 sessile flowers  Bulbophyllum pachyrachis

17 Inflorescence a raceme or panicle, not a spike (flowers pedicellate).

18 Inflorescence > 100 (-250) cm in length  Oncidium ensatum

18 Inflorescence < 50 cm in length.

19 Pseudobulb completely enveloped by 6-7 conduplicate distichous leaf sheaths; flowers borne singly on short pedicels arising from leaf axil, without brown blotches; flowers self-pollinating  Heterotaxis sessilis

19 Pseudobulb not enveloped by leaves; pedicels originating from inflorescence; flowers yellow to white, with or without brownish blotches, not self-pollinating.

20 Plants conspicuously rhizomatous; inflorescence < 1 cm long; pseudobulbs cylindric to ovoid  Camaridium micranthum

20 Plants not rhizomatous; inflorescence > 1 cm in length; pseudobulbs cylindric or elliptic.

21 Perianth segments long caudate; sepals 3-20 cm long  Brassia caudata

21 Perianth segments not long caudate (instead, oblong-elliptic); sepals 2.2-12 cm long.

22 Perianth segments white to cream-yellow colored with maroon stripes; pollinia not borne on long slender stipe  Cymbidium dayanum

22 Perianth segments cream colored to pale orange with condensed red-purple spots; pollinia borne on a long slender stipe  Macradenia lutescens