Encyclia navarroi Vale & D.Rojas 2012

Photo by © Claude W. Hamilton of Hamlyn Orchids

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Common Name Navarro's Encyclia

Flower Size 2.8" [7 cm]

Found in Pinar del Rio province of Cuba in evergreen microphyllous forest, swamp vegetation and the ecotone between them, at elevations of sea level to 12 meters as a large sized, hot growing epiphyte with caespitose, conic to ovoid pseudobulbs carrying 1 to 3, basally conduplicate, linear-lanceolate, coriaceous, arched and mostly sub-twisted, minutely erose [especially towards the apex], acute to apiculate leaves that blooms in the mid to later spring on a terminal, erect, racemose to paniculate, 2 to 4 branched, peduncle with 2 to 10 deltoid, adpressed bracts, scape and rachis 6.5" to 40" [16 to 100 cm] long, rachis lax, successively 3 to 20 flowered inflorescence with cucullate-amplexicaul, broadly ovate, obtuse, squamiform floral bracts and carrying fragrant, showy flowers.

More than any single diagnostic is the suberose margins to the leaves which is a very rare feature in Cuba and is only shared by E triangulifera which has more erose margins to the leaves and flowers that are half the size of this species, E navarroi.

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

*Ann. Bot. Fennici Vol. 49 2012 drawing fide;

Orchid Digest Vol 77 #2 2013 photo fide;

Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles Ackerman 2014

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