Encyclia conchaechila (Barb.Rodr.) Porto & Brade 1935
Photo by © Gustavo A Romero
Photo by © Dalton Holland Baptista © and Orchidstudium
Photo by © E Schnurr
Drawing By © Campacci
Common Name The Shell-Shaped Lip Encyclia
Flower Size 1" [2.5 cm]
Found in Guiania department of Colombia,Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina in rainforests close to granitic lajas and on white sand savannahs along rivers at elevations around 50 to 400 meters as a small sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with conic, basally rounded pseudobulbs enveloped in youth by imbricate, deciduous sheaths and carrying 2, apical, coriaceous, smooth, oblanceolate, acute, becoming conduplicate towards the clasping base leaves that blooms in the spring on a terminal, erect, 3.2" [8 cm] long, racemose, 4 to 7 flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the pedicellate ovary floral bractsand carrying close set, fragrant flowers arising on a shorter pedicel.
"The lip morphology of this species is similar to Encyclia pilosa but the lip callus of E conchaeichila consists of a pair of glabrous, thick ridges that run from the base of the lip to the disappearing in the center of the middle lobe with an additional ridge between 2 ridges in the middle lobe. The lip callus of E pilosa is completely different with a broad pilose band terminating in a hairy bilobed callus.
Differs from others in the lack of auricles on the column.
Often cited as a synonym of Encyclia flava but I have kept it separate at this time as there appear to be obvious differences.
Synonyms *Epidendrum conchaechilum Barb Rodr. 1877;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Gen. Spec. Orchid. 1: 53 Barb Rodr. 1877 as Epidendrum conchaechilum;
*Rodriguésia 1(2): 28 Porto & Brade 1935
Orchidaceae Brasilensis Vol 1 Pabst & Dungs 1975 drawing good;
Orchid Digest Vol 56 No 4 1992 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 62 No 8 1993 photo fide;
Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol VI Withner 2000 photo/drawing fide;
Icones Orchidacearum Brasilense I Plate 052 Castro & Campacci 2000 drawing ok;
Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003 drawing hmm;
Lankesteriana Vol 4 #3 Romero & Carnevali 2004
Orquideas de Roirama Luz & Franco 2012 photo fide;
Materials to the Orchid Flora of Colombia Vol IV:452 Szlatchetko & Kolanowska 2023 drawing/photo fide;
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