This species is found in
Hispaniola and in Puerto Rico, is also probably found in other neighboring
islands (Ackerman 2014). It is similar
to Epidendrum difforme and for many
years it was considered this species. I
have seen it in many places growing in live and dead trees. It is a common species. I have previously photographed this species
in situ in El Yunque mountain in the
Sierra de Luquillo. The photos here are
from the karst region of Puerto Rico near the center of the island. These photos were taken at roughly 1000 feet of
altitude in the Rio Abajo forest. The plants
are growing on trees close to the edge of a wetland. Humidity in the area is very high and the
soil is permanently wet.
It is not uncommon to see plants
of this species in captivity. I have
seen plants that seemed to have been in captivity for many years but these are a
small minority and are either in the hands of skilled orchidists or of people
that live in this orchid habitat. I
suspect that these plants fare poorly when removed from the wild mainly due to
the lack of knowledge of the collectors of its particular care these plants
need to survive in captivity. In general orchids from the mountainous
interior of the island, which is wet and relatively cool tend to fare very
poorly when they are taken to the drier, much hotter environment that prevails
in the coastal lowlands and then not provided with the level of humidity that
prevails in their habitat.
Ackerman J. D. 2014. Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles.
