Encyclia cordigera [HBK] Dressler 1964 Photos courtesy of Jay Pfahl

and

Common Name Large-lipped Encyclia - In Nicaragua - Flor de Encarnacion

Flower Size 3" [7.5 cm]

Found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Netherland Antilles, French Guiana, Surinam, Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia and Peru as a medium sized, bifoliate epiphyte, but can occasionally be lithophytic, occuring in dry forests, tropical rainforests and in dense scrub at an altitude of 0 to 900 meters with ovoid-pyriform, to subglobose pseudobulbs, subtended by a scarious sheath in youth, sulcate with age with 2 oblong-elliptic, obtuse, coriaceous, narrows below into an elongate, narrow, petiole-like base leaves where it blooms in the winter and spring on an apical, to 2' [60 cm] long, few to many flowered, racemose inflorescence with a short, basal bract and strongly fragrant, heavily textured flowers. It has been misnamed for years as Enc. atropurpureum Rchb.f. [really Psychilus atropurpureum] and there are many varieties available. This species has large, ovoid-pyriform to subglobose pseudobulbs with basal scarious sheaths with two oblong-elliptic, obtuse leaves which has a terminal inflorescence that arises from a mature pseudobulb, often as a new growth arises.

Synonyms *Cymbidium cordigerum Kunth 1815; Encyclia atropurpurea var. leucantha Schlechter 1922; Encyclia atropurpurea var. rhodoglossa Schltr. 1922; Encyclia atropurpurea var.rosea [Batem.] Summerhayes 1957; Encyclia cordigera var rosea [Batem.] H.G.Jones 1969; Encyclia doeringii Hoehne; Encyclia duboisiana (Brongn. ex A. Rich.) Neumann 1845; Encyclia macrochila (Hook.) Neumann 1845; Epidendrum atropurpureum var. laciniatum Ames, F.T. Hubb. & C. Schweinf. 1935; Epidendrum atropurpureum var. lionetianum Cogn. 1903; Epidendrum atropurpureum var. longilabre Cogn. 1903; Epidendrum atropurpureum var roseum [Batem.] Rchb.f 1854; Epidendrum cordigerum (Kunth) Foldats 1969; Epidendrum doeringii (Hoehne) A.D. Hawkes 1957; Epidendrum duboisianum Brongn.; Epidendrum longipetalum Godefroy-Lebeuf 1892; Epidendrum macrochilum Hook. 1836; ; Epidendrum macrochilum var. albopurpureum C. Morren 1846; Epidendrum macrochilum Hooker var roseum Batem. 1839

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; Venezuelan Orchids Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961 as Epidendrum atropurpureum; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970 as Epidendrum cordigera; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 688 Dodson 1982; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Series II Orchids of Peru Plate 0052 Dodson & Bennett 1989; Icones Orchidacearum I Plate 17 Hasater & Salazar 1990; Native Colombian Orchids Vol 2 COS 1991; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1424 Atwood 1992; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 632 Bennett & Christenson 2001; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005

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Encyclia cordigera var rosea [Batem.] H.G.Jones 1969

Another clone Photos courtesy of Jay Pfahl

Plant and Flowers in situ Mexico

Another Plant and Flowers in situ Mexico Photos by © Jesus Cid

A beauiful variety from Colombia.

Encyclia cordigera [HBK] Dressler 1964 var semialba Photo courtesy of Pedro Rondón. Caracas, Venezuela.

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