Encyclia caicensis Sauleda & R.M.Adams 1978
Photo by © Spencer Woodard and his Anthropogen Website
TYPE Drawing by © Salueda and R M Adams 1978
Common Name The Caicos Encylia
Flower Size 2" [5 cm]
Found only in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean on small trees in coastal scrub and coppices in sand and on limestone at low elevations as a small to medium sized, hot growing epiphyte and rarely lithophyte on limestone with a short, stout, creeping rhizome giving rise to crowded, narrow, cigar-shaped pseudobulbs carrying to 4, rigid, shorter, erect, coriaceous, linear to linear-lanceolate, acute, very long leaves that blooms on an erect, fractiflex peduncle, rachis paniculate, laxly to densely many flowered inflorescence carrying fragrant, non-resupinate to resupinate flowers.
"Encyclia caicensis is similar to and may be confused with Encyclia altissima and non-reproductive plants of Encyclia inaguensis . Encyclia caicensis differs from Encyclia altissima vegetatively, by having narrower and more rigid and erect leaves. Florally, these two species differ significantly. The inflorescence of E. caicensis has shorter and more numerous lateral branches which are distinct in their ascending habit. The flowers are smaller, more numerous and more tightly clustered than in Encyclia altissima . The cupped shape and ascending habit of the flowers of E. caicensis further separate it from its sympatric congener, Encyclia altissima. Furthermore, the labellum is not as deeply three-lobed, the labellum apex (disc) distinctly more re-curved, and the column disproportionately shorter in E. caicensis than in Encyclia altissima. Encyclia inaguensis has distinctly narrower leaves than immature and small specimens of E. caicensis (and E. hodgeana) with which it might be confused. All three species have large sympatric populations occuring on the Caicos Islands." Salueda and R M Adams 1978
Synonyms
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
* Selbyana 2: 340 Salueda and R M Adams 1978 drawing fide;
Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol IV Withner 1996 drawing/photo fide;
Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000 drawing good;
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