Epidendrum conopseum R. Br.

Green Fly Orchid

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Green Fly Orchid is a native evergreen herbaceous perennial in the Orchid family (Orchidaceae). It is native to the southern third of Alabama. Green Fly Orchid is an epiphyte (a plant that grows on another plant but is not a parasite) that grows primarily on Southern Magnolia trees overhanging streams and rivers. It is sometimes also found on Live Oak, Bald Cypress, Swamp Black Gum, or American Beech trees. Green Fly Orchid is cespitose, forming mats of creeping stems. The roots are thick and covered in a layer called the vellum. The vellum is greenish in color and adheres tightly to the bark of the tree. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, elliptic in outline, with entire margins. The leaves are thick and leathery and dark green in color. Flowers are produced in racemes of 6-14 flowers. The individual flowers have 3 sepals and 2 petals that are oblanceolate to spatulate in outline, and one petal that forms the lip. The lip is 3-lobed at the apex. The flowers are greenish-yellow in color, sometimes with a faint purple cast. The flowers are fragrant. The fruit is a capsule with many small dust-like seed. Green Fly Orchid is listed as an S3 species in Alabama (typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in the state.), and globally as a G4 species (imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors). Green Fly Orchid is available from some nurseries that specialize in species orchids. It can be grown attached to drift wood or a slab of cork bark.--A. Diamond

Although an earlier name, Epidendrum magnoliae Muhlenberg appears to be invalid as required descriptive language was not included by Muhlenberg in the publication. Because E. magnoliae is invalid, the oldest published name in accordance to the rules of botanical nomenclature is E. conospeum R. Br. as treated here. (Franck in Weakley et al. 2018).--B.R. Keener

Native S3 (State Rank) G4 (Global Rank)

Franck, A.R. 2018. Epidendrum magnoliae is an invalid name and E. conopseum should be maintained in usage in Weakley, A.S., D.B. Poindexter, R.J. LeBlond, B.A. Sorrie, E.L. Bridges, S.L. Orzell, A.R. Franck, M. Schori, B.R. Keener, A.R. Diamond, Jr., A.J. Floden, and R.D. Noyes. 2018. New combinations, rank changes, and nomenclatural and taxonomic comments in the vascular flora of the southeastern United States. III. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 12: 27-67.