198 Species in Genus Encyclia

Encyclia: An Orchid Genus That Holds My Fascination

Orchids have always captivated me with their intricate beauty and diverse forms. Among the many orchid genera, one that holds a special place in my heart is Encyclia. This diverse group of New World orchids, with their vibrant colors and intriguing shapes, never ceases to amaze me.

A Closer Look at Encyclia

The name “Encyclia” originates from the Greek word “enkykleomai,” meaning “to encircle.” This refers to the unique way the lateral lobes of the orchid’s lip encircle the column. This distinctive feature, along with their often fragrant blooms and relatively easy care requirements, makes Encyclia a favorite among orchid enthusiasts like myself.

Encyclia orchids are predominantly epiphytic, meaning they grow on other plants for support, typically trees. They thrive in the tropical and subtropical climates of the Americas, from Florida down to Argentina. Their habitats range from humid rainforests to drier savannas, showcasing their adaptability.

Diversity within the Genus

The genus Encyclia boasts a remarkable diversity, with over 190 recognized species. Each species possesses its own unique charm, varying in size, color, and fragrance:

1. Encyclia acapulcensis Viccon, Cetzal & Carnevali
2. Encyclia acutifolia Schltr.
3. Encyclia × adamsii Sauleda
4. Encyclia adenocarpos (Lex.) Schltr.
5. Encyclia adenocaula (Lex.) Schltr.
6. Encyclia advena (Rchb.f.) Porto & Brade
7. Encyclia aenicta Dressler & G.E.Pollard
8. Encyclia alata (Bateman) Schltr.
9. Encyclia albopurpurea (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade
10. Encyclia alboxanthina Fowlie
11. Encyclia × alcardoi V.P.Castro & Chiron
12. Encyclia altissima Schltr.
13. Encyclia amanda (Ames) Dressler
14. Encyclia amazonica Brongn. ex Neumann
15. Encyclia ambigua (Lindl.) Schltr.
16. Encyclia amicta (Linden & Rchb.f.) Schltr.
17. Encyclia andrichii L.C.Menezes
18. Encyclia androsiana Sauleda
19. Encyclia angustifolia (Sw.) Schltr.
20. Encyclia angustiloba Schltr.
21. Encyclia archilarum W.E.Higgins
22. Encyclia argentinensis (Speg.) Hoehne
23. Encyclia aspera (Lindl.) Schltr.
24. Encyclia asperula Dressler & G.E.Pollard
25. Encyclia atrorubens (Rolfe) Schltr.
26. Encyclia auyantepuiensis Carnevali & I.Ramírez
27. Encyclia × bajamarensis Sauleda & R.M.Adams
28. Encyclia belizensis (Rchb.f.) Schltr.
29. Encyclia betancourtiana Carnevali & I.Ramírez
30. Encyclia bicalhoi V.P.Castro & Bohnke
31. Encyclia bipapularis (Rchb.f.) Acuña
32. Encyclia bocourtii Múj.Benítez & Pupulin
33. Encyclia bohnkiana V.P.Castro & Campacci
34. Encyclia bracteata Schltr. ex Hoehne
35. Encyclia bractescens (Lindl.) Hoehne
36. Encyclia bradfordii (Griseb.) Carnevali & I.Ramírez
37. Encyclia bragancae Ruschi
38. Encyclia × breueriana V.P.Castro & Speckm.
39. Encyclia caicensis Sauleda & R.M.Adams
40. Encyclia cajalbanensis Múj.Benítez, Bocourt & Pupulin
41. Encyclia calderoniae Soto Arenas
42. Encyclia × camagueyensis Rodr.Seijo, Gonz.Estév., Sauleda, Risco Vill. & Esperon
43. Encyclia candollei (Lindl.) Schltr.
44. Encyclia × carbonitensis Campacci
45. Encyclia × celiamirandae Campacci & G.F.Carr
46. Encyclia ceratistes (Lindl.) Schltr.
47. Encyclia chapadensis L.C.Menezes
48. Encyclia chiapasensis Withner & D.G.Hunt
49. Encyclia chloroleuca (Hook.) Neumann
50. Encyclia conchaechila (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade
51. Encyclia contrerasii R.González
52. Encyclia cordigera (Kunth) Dressler
53. Encyclia × cordistes Sauleda
54. Encyclia correllii Sauleda
55. Encyclia cyperifolia (C.Schweinf.) Carnevali & I.Ramírez
56. Encyclia × darieniana Esperon & Sauleda
57. Encyclia davidhuntii Withner & M.Fuente
58. Encyclia delacruzii W.E.Higgins & Archila
59. Encyclia dichroma (Lindl.) Schltr.
60. Encyclia dickinsoniana (Withner) Hamer
61. Encyclia diota (Lindl.) Schltr.
62. Encyclia diurna (Jacq.) Schltr.
63. Encyclia dressleri Beutelsp. & Mor.-Mol.
64. Encyclia duveenii Pabst
65. Encyclia elegantula Dressler
66. Encyclia enriquearcilae Carnevali & Cetzal
67. Encyclia × esperonii Rodr.Seijo & Sauleda
68. Encyclia × fabianae B.P.Faria, A.D.Santana & Péres Junior
69. Encyclia fehlingii (Sauleda) Sauleda & R.M.Adams
70. Encyclia ferreirae Campacci & J.B.F.Silva
71. Encyclia fimbriata C.A.Bastos, Van den Berg & Meneguzzo
72. Encyclia flabellata (Lindl.) B.F.Thurst. & W.R.Thurst.
73. Encyclia fowliei Duveen
74. Encyclia fucata (Lindl.) Schltr.
75. Encyclia gallopavina (Rchb.f.) Porto & Brade
76. Encyclia garciae-esquivelii Carnevali & I.Ramírez
77. Encyclia gonzalezii L.C.Menezes
78. Encyclia × gracilis (Lindl.) Schltr.
79. Encyclia grahamii (Hook.) Bosmenier, Esperon & Sauleda
80. Encyclia granitica (Lindl.) Schltr.
81. Encyclia gravida (Lindl.) Schltr.
82. Encyclia grisebachiana (Cogn.) Acuña
83. Encyclia guadalupeae R.González & Alvarado
84. Encyclia guanahacabibensis Sauleda & Esperon
85. Encyclia guatemalensis (Klotzsch) Dressler & G.E.Pollard
86. Encyclia guentheriana (Kraenzl.) R.Vásquez
87. Encyclia guianensis Carnevali & G.A.Romero
88. Encyclia × guzinskii Sauleda & R.M.Adams
89. Encyclia halbingeriana Hágsater & Soto Arenas
90. Encyclia hamiltonii Sauleda & Esperon
91. Encyclia hanburyi (Lindl.) Schltr.
92. Encyclia havanensis O.Bello, Esperon & Sauleda
93. Encyclia hermentiana Brongn. ex Neumann
94. Encyclia × hillyerorum Sauleda & R.M.Adams
95. Encyclia holguinensis Soto Calvo, Esperon & Sauleda
96. Encyclia howardii (Ames & Correll) Hoehne
97. Encyclia huertae Soto Arenas & R.Jiménez
98. Encyclia ibanezii Archila & W.E.Higgins
99. Encyclia inaguensis Nash ex Britton & Millsp.
100. Encyclia incumbens (Lindl.) Mabb.
101. Encyclia inopinata Leopardi, Carnevali & G.A.Romero
102. Encyclia ionosma (Lindl.) Schltr.
103. Encyclia isochila (Rchb.f.) Dod
104. Encyclia ivoniae Carnevali & G.A.Romero
105. Encyclia jenischiana (Rchb.f.) Porto & Brade
106. Encyclia × jequitinhonhensis Campacci & Bohnke
107. Encyclia × jezuinae Campacci & G.F.Carr
108. Encyclia joaosaiana Campacci & Bohnke
109. Encyclia kennedyi (Fowlie & Withner) Hágsater
110. Encyclia kermesina (Lindl.) P.Ortiz
111. Encyclia kingsii (C.D.Adams) Nir
112. Encyclia × knowlesii Sauleda & R.M.Adams
113. Encyclia leucantha Schltr.
114. Encyclia linearifolioides (Kraenzl.) Hoehne
115. Encyclia lineariloba Withner
116. Encyclia × lleidae Sauleda & R.M.Adams
117. Encyclia lopezii Leopardi & Carnevali
118. Encyclia lorata Dressler & G.E.Pollard
119. Encyclia mapuerae (Huber) Brade & Pabst
120. Encyclia maravalensis Withner
121. Encyclia meliosma (Rchb.f.) Schltr.
122. Encyclia microbulbon (Hook.) Schltr.
123. Encyclia microtos (Rchb.f.) Hoehne
124. Encyclia moebusii H.Dietr.
125. Encyclia monteverdensis M.A.Díaz & Ackerman
126. Encyclia mooreana (Rolfe) Schltr.
127. Encyclia naranjapatensis Dodson
128. Encyclia navarroi Vale & D.Rojas
129. Encyclia nematocaulon (A.Rich.) Acuña
130. Encyclia × nizanburyi Pérez-García & Hágsater
131. Encyclia × nizandensis Pérez-García & Hágsater
132. Encyclia obtusa (A.DC.) Schltr.
133. Encyclia ochrantha (A.Rich.) Withner
134. Encyclia oestlundii (Ames, F.T.Hubb. & C.Schweinf.) Hágsater & Stermitz
135. Encyclia oliveirana Campacci
136. Encyclia oncidioides (Lindl.) Schltr.
137. Encyclia osmantha (Barb.Rodr.) Schltr.
138. Encyclia × osmentii Sauleda & Esperon
139. Encyclia ossenbachiana Pupulin
140. Encyclia oxypetala (Lindl.) Schltr.
141. Encyclia oxyphylla Schltr.
142. Encyclia pachyantha (Lindl.) Hoehne
143. Encyclia × padreortizii Sauleda
144. Encyclia papillosa (Bateman ex Lindl.) Aguirre-Olav.
145. Encyclia parallela (Lindl.) P.Ortiz
146. Encyclia parkeri Reina-Rodr. & Leopardi
147. Encyclia parviflora (Regel) Withner
148. Encyclia parviloba (Fawc. & Rendle) Nir
149. Encyclia patens Hook.
150. Encyclia patriciana (J.S.Moreno & Campacci) J.M.H.Shaw
151. Encyclia pauciflora (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade
152. Encyclia peraltensis (Ames) Dressler
153. Encyclia perplexa (Ames, F.T.Hubb. & C.Schweinf.) Dressler & G.E.Pollard
154. Encyclia phoenicea (Lindl.) Neumann
155. Encyclia picta (Lindl.) Hoehne
156. Encyclia pilosa (C.Schweinf.) Carnevali & I.Ramírez
157. Encyclia plicata (Lindl.) Schltr.
158. Encyclia pollardiana (Withner) Dressler & G.E.Pollard
159. Encyclia profusa (Rolfe) Dressler & G.E.Pollard
160. Encyclia pyriformis (Lindl.) Schltr.
161. Encyclia × raganii Sauleda & R.M.Adams
162. Encyclia randii (L.Linden & Rodigas) Porto & Brade
163. Encyclia recurvata Schltr.
164. Encyclia remotiflora (C.Schweinf.) Carnevali & I.Ramírez
165. Encyclia replicata (Lindl. & Paxton) Schltr.
166. Encyclia richardiana Rodr.Seijo, Esperon & Sauleda
167. Encyclia rodolfoi Archila, Chiron & Véliz
168. Encyclia rosariensis Múj.Benítez, R.Pérez & Pupulin
169. Encyclia rufa (Lindl.) Britton & Millsp.
170. Encyclia rzedowskiana Soto Arenas
171. Encyclia sabanensis Vale, Pérez-Obr. & Faife
172. Encyclia sagrana (A.Rich.) Soto Calvo, Esperon & Sauleda
173. Encyclia sclerocladia (Lindl.) Hoehne
174. Encyclia seidelii Pabst
175. Encyclia selligera (Bateman ex Lindl.) Schltr.
176. Encyclia silverarum Leopardi & Carnevali
177. Encyclia spatella (Rchb.f.) Schltr.
178. Encyclia spiritusanctensis L.C.Menezes
179. Encyclia steinbachii Schltr.
180. Encyclia stellata (Lindl.) Schltr.
181. Encyclia suaveolens Dressler
182. Encyclia tampensis (Lindl.) Small
183. Encyclia thienii Dodson
184. Encyclia thrombodes (Rchb.f.) Schltr.
185. Encyclia × tixtlensis León-Peralta, Salmerón-Barrera & Pérez-García
186. Encyclia trachycarpa (Lindl.) Schltr.
187. Encyclia trachychila (Lindl.) Schltr.
188. Encyclia trautmannii Senghas
189. Encyclia triangulifera (Rchb.f.) Acuña
190. Encyclia tuerckheimii Schltr.
191. Encyclia unaensis Fowlie
192. Encyclia uxpanapensis Salazar
193. Encyclia × verboonenii V.P.Castro & Campacci
194. Encyclia viridiflora Hook.
195. Encyclia withneri (Sauleda) Sauleda & R.M.Adams
196. Encyclia xerophytica Pabst
197. Encyclia xipheres (Rchb.f.) Schltr.
198. Encyclia yauaperyensis (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade

My Personal Experiences with Encyclia

My fascination with Encyclia began with a single Encyclia cordigera plant. I was immediately drawn to its vibrant pink flowers and intoxicating fragrance. As I delved deeper into the world of Encyclia, I was captivated by the sheer variety and unique beauty of each species.

Over time, my collection has grown to include several different Encyclia species. I find immense satisfaction in providing the proper care for these orchids, observing their growth, and witnessing the breathtaking beauty of their blooms. Each new bloom feels like a reward for my dedication and a testament to the resilience and splendor of these plants.

Cultivating Encyclia Orchids

While Encyclia orchids are generally easy to care for, they do have specific needs to ensure optimal growth and flowering. Here are some key aspects of Encyclia cultivation:

• Light: Encyclia orchids thrive in bright, indirect light. Avoid direct sunlight, which can scorch their leaves.
• Water: These orchids prefer to dry out slightly between waterings. Overwatering can lead to root rot.
• Humidity: Maintaining adequate humidity is crucial for Encyclia orchids. Regular misting or using a humidity tray can help.
• Temperature: Most Encyclia species prefer intermediate temperatures, with daytime temperatures around 75-85°F (24-29°C) and nighttime temperatures around 60-65°F (16-18°C).
• Potting Medium: A well-draining potting mix is essential. A mix of bark, perlite, and sphagnum moss is often used.
• Fertilizer: Regular fertilization during the growing season encourages healthy growth and flowering.

By providing the right conditions, you can enjoy the beauty of Encyclia orchids in your own home.

The Allure of Encyclia

Encyclia orchids, with their diverse forms, vibrant colors, and captivating fragrances, hold a special place in the world of orchids. Their relatively easy care requirements and adaptability make them a rewarding choice for both novice and experienced orchid growers. As I continue to explore the fascinating world of Encyclia, I am constantly reminded of the beauty and resilience of the natural world.