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Since the publishing of the last issue of Icones, the authors have been involved in several field trips to Ecuador and Colombia and thus numerous new species are appearing. Colombia is especially interesting, as after the peace has ended 50 years of internal warfare, many areas previously impossible to visit are now open for research. Hágsater had the opportunity to attend the National Orchid Exhibition in Popayán, Cauca, and from there briefly visit the herbaria in Popayán and Pasto, visit private collections and short field trips the Departments of Cauca, Huila, Nariño and Putumayo, all promising numerous species including a few which are published here.
Several field and herbarium trips have also been made in Ecuador. All these visits are leading to a better understanding of the diversity of the genus Epidendrum. Several new species are illustrated in this issue, with more in the works. Collaborations with several botanists in Peru are also clearly visible in this issue. It is becoming evident that southern Ecuador and northern Peru share numerous species, but Peru has been under collected in the far north. Thus some "endemic" species from Ecuador will lose that status. The same can be said of southern Colombia and northern
Ecuador.
Of the 33 species here described, 32 are new to science, 15 from Ecuador, 16 from Peru, and 4 from Colombia. Three have been found in two countries, and it is evident that several will be found in neighboring countries once we have recognized more material.
