Epidendrum subg. Spathium
Introduction John Lindley published '''''Epidendrum'' subg. ''Spathium''''' of the Orchidaceae. According to Lindley's diagnosis, the ''E''. subg. ''Spathium'' is recognizable by is sympodial habit with individual stems being slender (without any tendency to form pseudobulbs) and covered by the bases of the distichous leaves, by the lip of the flower being adnate to the column to its apex, and by the inflorescence emerging from at least one spathe, similar to nearly all members of the genus ''Cattleya'' as understood in the year 2000 (''sensu MM''). Reichenbach recognized 52 species in this subgenus, of which Kew accepts 48 (page numbers refer to Reichenbach 1861):* ''E. amplexicaule'' Lindl. 1853 (p. 370)* ''E. acutissimum'' Lindl. 1853 (pp. 362–363)* ''E. adenoglossum'' Lindl. 1841 (p. 361) * ''E. alpicola'' Rchb.f. & Warsz. Bonplandia(Hannover)2:110(1854) (p. 366). Kew calls this ''E. alpicola'', and accepts it thus. Bonplandia p. 110 says ''Epidendrum alpicolum''. * ''E. anthoceros'' Linden & Rchb.f. 1854 (p. 366)* ''E. armeniacum'' Lindl. 1836 (p. 367)* ''E. bivalve'' Lindl. 1853 (p. 365)* ''E. brachyglossum'' Lindl. 1844 (p. 362)* ''E. brevivenium'' Lindl. 1853 (p. 363)* ''E. clowesii'' Bateman ''ex'' Lindl. 1844 (p. 373)* ''E. cnemidophorum'' Lindl. 1853 (p. 372)* ''E. cornutum'' Lindl. 1841 (pp. 365–366)* ''E. cristatum'' Ruiz & Pav. 1793 (p. 372 as ''E. raniferum'' Lindl. 1831 & ''E. raniferum'' var. luteum Lindl. 1853* ''E. cylindraceum'' Lindl. 1844 (p. 363)* ''E. cylindrostachys'' Rchb.f. & Warsz. 1854 (p. 365)* ''E. discoidale'' Lindl. 1853(p. 372)* ''E. excisum'' Lindl. 1844 (pp. 370–371)* ''E. ferrugineum'' Ruiz & Pav. 1798 (p. 364 as ''E. carneum'' Lindl. 1846 & (p. 364 as ''E. trinitatis'' Lindl. 1840* ''E. friderici-guilielmi'' Rchb.f. & Warsz. 1854 (p. 365)* ''E. geminiflorum'' Kunth 1816 (p. 368)* ''E. glossoceras'' Rchb.f. & Warsz. 1854 (p. 366)* ''E. harrisoniae'' Hook. 1833 (p. 373)* ''E. heterodoxum'' Rchb.f. 1854 (p. 362)* ''E. klotzscheanum'' Rchb.f. 1850 (pp. 366–367)* ''E. lacustre'' Lindl. 1853 (p. 360)* ''E. lagotis'' Rchb.f. 1855 (p. 367)* ''E. longiflorum'' Kunth 1816 (p. 360), (p. 360-361 as ''E. spectatissimum'' Rchb.f. 1855) & (p. 360 as ''E. leucochilum'' Klotzach. 1843)* ''E. mancum'' Lindl. 1844 (p. 361)* ''E. megagastrium'' Lindl. 1853 (pp 368–369)* ''E. mesomicron'' Lindl. 1853 (p. 370)* ''E. modestum'' Rchb.f. & Warsz. 1854 (p. 371)* ''E. ochriodes'' Lindl. 1853  (p. 371)* ''E. parviflorum'' Ruiz & Pav. 1798  (p. 367)* ''E. peperomia'' Rchb.f. 1854 (p. 368) & (p. 368 as ''E. porpax'' Rchb.f. )* ''E. raphidophorum'' Lindl. 1853 (p. 371)* ''E. ruizianum'' Steud. 1840 (pp. 371–372 as ''E. spathaceum'' Lindl. 1841)* ''E. sanderi'' A.D.Hawkes 1957 (pp. 360–361 as ''E. grandiflorum'' Lindl. 1841 ''nom. illeg.'' )* ''E. sarcochilum'' Linden & Rchb.f. 1854 (p. 363)* ''E. sarcodes'' Lindl. 1853 (p. 362)* ''E. schlimii'' Rchb.f. 1850 (p. 361)* ''E. scutella'' Lindl. 1844 (p. 367)* ''E. sinuosum'' Lindl. 1853 (p. 363)* ''E. tenax'' Rchb.f. 1854 (pp. 367–368)* ''E. tovarense'' Rchb.f. 1850 (p. 370)* ''E. ventricosum'' Lindl. 1841 (p. 361)* ''E. viridibrunneum'' Rchb.f. 1861 (p. 368)* ''E. xantholeucum'' Rchb.f. 1850 (p. 373)In 2005,  Hágsater & Soto designated the species ''Epidendrum adenoglossum'' as the lectotype of ''Epidendrum'' subgenus ''Spathium''.
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