Encyclia oxypetala (Lindl.) Schltr. 1918

Photo by Luis A Borges Ochoa of Cuba ©

Drawing

Drawing by © Jose Bocourt

Fragrance Part Sun Hot SpringSummer

Common Name The Pointed Sepals Encyclia

Flower Size 3/4" [1.9 cm]

Found only in eastern Cuba on trees and royal palms in moderately dry lowland forests and thickets at elevations of sea level to 200 meters as a medium to large sized, hot growing epiphyte with crowded, ovoid-fusiform pseudobulbs enveloped basally by a few scarious sheaths and carrying 1 to 3, apical, erect, stiff, coriaceous, linear-ligulate, obtuse, basally narrowing and briefly conduplicate base leaves that blooms in the spring and summer on a terminal, slender, peduncle to 14.4 to 18" [36 to 45 cm] long, panicle to 14.8" [37 cm] long, each branch to 7.2" [18 cm] long, somewhat fractiflex, to 48 flowered inflorescence with narrowly triangular, very acute floral bracts and carrying softly fragrant flowers.

Similar to E tampensis and most likely the reason that E tampense has erronously been determined to occur in Cuba.

Synonyms *Epidendrum oxypetalum Lindl.1846

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

Orchid. Linden.: 8 Lindley 1846 as Epidendrum oxypetalum;

Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Epidendrum oxypetalum;

* Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 7: 277 Schlechter 1918

Catalogo Descriptivo de las Orchideas Cubanas Acuna Gale 1987;

Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000;

The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005

The Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol 4 Withner 1996 photo fide;

Iconografia de Orquideas Cubanas Perez & Bocourt 1997 drawing fide;

Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Laramendi 2005 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 8 2006 photo fide;

Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles Ackerman 2014

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------