Appearance
"E. frutex" Rchb.f. is closely related to E. frigidum Lind., growing terrestrially in "open sphagnum uplands". The tall sympodial plants grow from 3/4 to 5 m tall. As is typical of the subgenus "E." subg. "Epidendrum", the stems are covered from the base with distichous, tubular, leaf-bearing sheaths. The narrow leathery leaves of "E. frutex" can grow more than 2 dm long. The terminal inflorescence is a distichous compound panicle bearing numerous small, fleshy yellow to green to brown flowers. The triangular sepals are no longer than 6 mm. The linear petals are slightly shorter than the sepals. The lip is adnate to the column to its apex, heart-shaped where it diverges from the column, broader than it is long, and not divided into lobes. A linear keel runs down the center of the lip.This large "Epidendrum" is notable for producing seed capsules that are more than ten times the size of the flowers.
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