Encyclia granitica ( Lindl. ) Schltr. 1919

Indflorescence

Photo by © Ecuagenera and their Ecuador Orchid Website

Disected Flower

Photo by © E Schnurr

Another Plant

Photo by © Patricia Harding

Drawing

Drawing By © Dunsterville & Garay

EARLY

Common Name or Meaning The Granite Growing Encyclia

Flower Size 1 1/4" [3.1cm]

Found in Brazil, Guyana, Surinam and Venezuela on granite outcroppings and ridges along rivers and among boulders with a small pocket of soil at elevations of sea level to 1500 meters as a medium sized, hot to cool growing rupicolus lithophyte with a somewhat elongate rhizome enveloped by whitish dried bracts, giving rise to thin and narrow pseudobulbs carrying two, apical leaves that blooms in the spring and early summer in Venezuela, on a terminal, 76" [1.8m] long, paniculate inflorescence carrying fragrant flowers.

Similar to Encyclia oncidioides and often confused with it, but E granitica differs in the undulate sepals and petals and the column auricles are supperior to those of E oncidioides.

Many references put Encyclia dasilvae and Encyclia huebneri as synonyms of this species but I have left them separate for now.

Synonyms *Epidendrum graniticum Lindley 1841; Epidendrum oncidioides var. graniticum (Lindl.) Lindl. 1853; Epidendrum spectabile Focke 1853

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

J. Bot. (Hooker) 3: 83 Lindley 1841 as Epidendrum graniticum;

Fol. Orchid. 3: 11 Lindley 1853 as Epidendrum oncidioides var granitica

Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 11: 229 Focke 1853 as Epidendrum spectabile;

Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Epidendrum oncidioides var graniticum;

*Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 6: 74 Schlechter 1919;

Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961 as Epidendrum selligerum drawing ok;

AOS Bulletin Vol 33 #8 1964 as Epidendrum oncidioides var graniticum;

AOS Bulletin Vol 36 #9 1967 as Epidendrum oncidioides var graniticum;

Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Dunsterville and Garay 1979 as Epidendrum selligerum drawing ok;

Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing ok;

Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol VI Withner 2000 photo/drawing fide;

Icones Orchidacearum Brasilenses Vol I Plate 063 Castro & Campacci 2000 drawing good;

Coletanea de Orquideas Brasileiras 1 Encyclias Campacci 2003 photo fide;

Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 7 Steyermark, Berry, Yatskievych and Holst 2003 drawing ok;

Orquideas de Roirama Luz & Franco 2012 photo fide;

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