Epidendrum radicans
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| Epidendrum radicans | ||||||||||||||
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| Epidendrum radicans Lindl. |
This ground-rooting orchid is a common roadside weed at middle elevations in Central America. A crucifix orchid, it is often confused with E. cinnabarinum, E. denticulatum, E. fulgens, E. ibaguense, E. incisum, E. schomburgkii, E. secundum, and Epidendrum xanthinum, among others. Perhaps the most diagnostic characteristic of E. radicans is its tendency to sprout roots all along the length of the stem; many other crucifix orchids only produce roots near the base.
E. radicans is part of a complex of several orange-flowered, weedy species (including Asclepias spp.) that are unrelated but ecologically similar. Species within this group share pollinators as well as habitat, and are believed to exhibit what is known as convergent evolution, where unrelated species "converge" upon similar physical characteristics as a result of similar evolutionary pressures. Paulette Bierzychudek studied pollinator behavior in the apparent complex consisting of E. radicans, Asclepias curassavicia, and Lantana camara, but could not find clear evidence that floral mimicry was affecting polination rates for any of the three species. The results were published in the article Paulette Bierzychudek: "Asclepias, Lantana, and Epidendrum: A Floral Mimicry Complex?" Biotropica, Vol. 13, No. 2, Supplement: Reproductive Botany (Jun., 1981), pp. 54-58, published by The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation
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