Epidendrum carpophorum Barb. Rodr.

Epidendrum nocturnum is widespread and common throughout the tropical regions of the Western Hemisphere. Outside the flora area, the size of stems, leaves, and flowers is somewhat variable, and plants or whole populations often have cleistogamous flowers. A number of good species occur in the Neotropics. The length of the ovary and the pedicel of the capsule often are good specific characters.

Flowers are very fragrant at night, with an almost pungent scent.

Plant cespitose, to 100 cm. Roots basal, 1–2.5 mm diam. Stems unbranched, straight, terete proximally, compressed distally, to 90 cm. Leaves 4–10, evenly distributed on distal 1/2 of stem; petiole to 46 mm; blade elliptic, 2-lobed, 6–15 × 0.5–3 cm, leathery. Inflorescences nearly corymbose; peduncle zigzag, branching with time, greater than 5 mm, producing flowers over several years. Flowers resupinate, produced in succession, 1–2 at a time; sepals yellowish, narrowly linear-lanceolate, to 60 × 6 mm, apex acute; petals yellowish, narrowly linear-lanceolate, to 58 × 2 mm; lip white, deeply 3-lobed, middle lobe narrowly linear-acuminate, overall to 24 × 40 mm, lateral lobes obliquely semiovate; callus yellow; column 18 mm; clinandrium hood surpassing anther, erose; anther ovoid; ovary 45–50 mm. Capsules ellipsoid; pedicel 7–14 mm; body 25–32 × 10–15 mm; beak 16 mm.

Fla.; Mexico; West Indies; Central America; South America.

Flowering Sep--Mar; fruiting Jan--Apr, sporadically throughout year.

Epiphytic on trees and palms in forests, hammocks, and swamps; 0--30m.

Amphiglottis nocturna (Jacquin) Britton; Auliza nocturna (Jacquin) Small; Epidendrum carolinianum Lamarck; Nyctosma nocturna (Jacquin) Rafinesque

Bosques muy húmedos y en manglares.

Distribucion en Costa Rica: Toda la vertiente atlántica, incluyendo las faldas de las cordilleras, así como la vertiente pacífica desde la Península de Nicoya hasta la Península de Osa, en elevaciones de 0 hasta 700 (-1.000) m.
Distribucion General: Del sur de Estados Unidos a Brasil, Bolivia y las Antillas.

Epífita.

Epífita de 15 a 70 cm de altura, tallos cilíndricos de 8 a 58 por 0,1 a 0,6 cm. De cuatro a diez hojas de 4 a 12 por 1,0 a 3,5 cm, de estrechamente ovado-elípticas a linear-elípticas, obtusas, ocasionalmente retusas, mucronadas. Inflorescencia apical, racemosa y plurianual; pedúnculo de 0,5 a 2,0 cm de largo, cubierto por una o dos brácteas imbricadas de 0,5 a 2,3 por 0,2 a 0,8 cm, oblongo-triangulares, agudas, sin bráctea espatácea; brácteas florales abrazadoras de 4 a 6 por 4,0 a 5,4 mm, triangulares, ligeramente atenuadas, agudas. De una a seis flores sucesivas, resupinadas, de verde amarillento a blanco amarillento, labelo blanco; sépalos de 40 a 65 por 2,0 a 5,5 mm, linear-lanceolados, atenuados y agudos; pétalos de 40 a 60 por 2 a 3 mm, estrechamente lanceolados, atenuados, agudos, mucronados; labelo de 25 a 45 por 14 a 18 mm, trilobado, bicalloso, los callos son laminares, prominentes, unicarinados, y la carina se prolonga hasta un tercio del lóbulo medio; lóbulos laterales de 4 a 7 por 10 a 15 mm, oblicuamente ovados, agudos, el lóbulo medio de 22 a 40 por 0,5 a 2,0 mm, linear, acuminado, agudo; columna de recta a ligeramente arqueada, de 14 a 16 por 4,5 a 5,6 mm; ovario de 50 a 70 por 1,5 a 3,0 mm.

Localidad del tipo:
Depositario del tipo:
Recolector del tipo:

Epidendrum nocturnum ("Nocturnal Epidendrum") là loài điển hình của chi Epidendrum thuộc họ Orchidaceae. Loài này mọc ở Florida, Bahamas, West Indies, Trung Mỹ đến bắc Brazil và Guyana. Epidendrum nocturnum phổ biến ở Nam Florida.

Số nhiễm sắc thể đơn bội E. nocturnum được xác định là n = 20. Số nhiễm sắc thể nhị bội được xác định cả 2n = 40 và 2n = 80