Encyclia phoenicea Nueman 1914
Photo by © Claude W. Hamilton of Hamlyn Orchids
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Drawing by © Jose Bocourt
Common Name Phoenician Encyclia - Chocolate Orchid - In Cuba - Flor de San Pedro - Orquedea Vainilla - Orquedea de chocolate
Flower Size 2" [5 cm]
Found in the Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Is. and Grand Turks and Caicos near seacoasts at elevations up to 300 meters as a medium sized, hot growing, caespitose epiphyte with pyriform to cylindric ovoid, basally narrow pseudobulbs enveloped basally by scarious, deciduous bracts carrying 1 to 3, apical, linear to elliptic-lanceolate, coriaceous, acute to obtuse, basally conduplicate into the petiolate base leaves that blooms in the spring through fall on a terminal, erect to arcuate, pedundle smooth, to 3' [to 90 cm] long, racemose to sparsely branched panicle, 2 to 25, successively flowered inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb and carrying flowers with a strong scent of chocolate.
This species likes a dryer environment especially when not in growth.
Synonyms Encyclia duboisiana (Brongn. ex A. Rich.) Neumann 1845; Encyclia oblongata (A. Rich.) Acuña 1939; Epidendrum duboisianum Brongn. 1843 ; Epidendrum grahamii Hook. 1841; *Epidendrum oblongatum A. Rich. 1843; Epidendrum phoeniceum Lindl. 1841; Epidendrum phoenicum var vanillosum Lemaire 1848;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Edwards's Bot. Reg. 27(Misc.): 57 Lindl. 1841 as Epidendrum phoenicum;
Rev. Hort. (Paris), sér. 2, 4: 137 Neumann 1845 as E duboisiana; * Rev. Hort. (Paris), sér. 2, 4: 137 Neumann 1845 Fl. Serres Jard. Eur. 4: t. 306 Lem 1848 as Epidendrum phoenicum var vanillosmum Hist. Fis. Cuba, Bot. 11: 239 Brogn. ex A Rich. 1850; Hist. Fis. Cuba, Bot. 11: 239 Brogn. ex A Rich. 1850as Epidendrum duboisianum; Hist. Fis. Cuba, Bot. 11: 239 Brogn. ex A Rich. 1850 as Epidendrum oblongatum; Hist. Fis. Cuba, Bot. 12: TAB 80 Brogn. ex A Rich. 1850 as Epidendrum oblongatum drawing fide;
Bonplandia Rchb.f 1856 as Epidendrum phoenicum; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Epidendrum phoenicum; Symbolae Antillanae Vol VI Orchidaceae Urban 1909 as Epidendrum oblongatum; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as Epidendrum phoenicum drawing ok; The Genus Epidendrum Ames 1936 as Epidendrum phoenicum; Bol. Estaçión Exp. Agron. Santiago de las Vegas 60: 80 Acuña 1939 as E oblongata; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 10 1963; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Epidendrum phoenicum; The Genus Encyclia in Mexico Dressler & Pollard 1974 as Epidendrum grahamii in excluded species; The Genus Encyclia in Mexico Dressler & Pollard 1974 as excluded species; Las Orquideas Nativas de Cuba Aleida Dias 1985 photo fide; Catalogo Descriptivo de Las Orquideas Cubanos Acuna 1987 as E oblongatum; Orchid Digest Vol 60 #1 1996 photo fide; Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol 4 Withner 1996 photo fide; Iconografia de Orquideas Cubanas Perez & Bocourt 1997 drawing fide; The Florida Orchidist Vol 42 No 1 1999 photo; Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000 photo/drawing fide; The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 photo fide; Orchids of Cuba Lllamacho and Larimendi 2005 as E oblongatum; Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000; AOS Bulletin Vol 10 2008 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 73 #2 2009 photo fide; Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles Ackerman 2014; Orchids of Tropical America Meisel 2014 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #9 2017 photo fide; --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
